• Yongmin Liu, Shanglong Yao, Wenge Song, Yuelan Wang, Dong Liu, and Lian Zen.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
• J Huazhong U Sci Med. 2005 Jan 1;25(6):696-9.

AbstractNeuropathic pain has been hypothesized to be the result of aberrant expression and function of sodium channels at the site of injury. To investigate the effects of NaV1. 8 antisense oligonucleotide on the expression of sodium channel mRNA in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in chronic neuropathic pain. 24 Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 200-260 g were anesthetized with the intraperitoneal injection of 300 mg x kg(-1) choral hydrate. The CCI model was made by loose ligation of sciatic nerve trunk by 4-0 chromic gut. The mechanical and thermal pain threshold were measured before operation and 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 days after operation. A PE-10 catheter was implanted in subarachnoid space at lumbar region. On the 7th postoperative day the animals were randomly divided into 4 groups. The drugs were injected intrathecally twice a day for 5 consecutive days in group 2-4. The animals were decapitated 14 days after the surgery. The L4-L6 DRG of the operated side was removed and crushed, and total RNA was extracted with Trizol reagent. The contralateral side was used as control. The change of NaV1. 8 sodium channel transcripts was determined by RT-PCR. Pain threshold was significantly lowered after CCI as compared with that in control group and was elevated 3 days after antisense oligonucleotide injection. Sensory neuron specific TTX-R sodium channel NaV1. 8 transcript was down-regulated after antisense oligonucleotide injection at the dosage of 45 microg as compared with that in CCI group (P < 0.01), and it was even greater at the dosage of 90 microg. The intrathecally injected NaV1. 8 antisense oligonucleotide can reduce the mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia partially by downregulating the SNS transcript expression.

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