• Aram Kwon, Sang-Min Jeon, Sung-Hun Hwang, Jong-Heon Kim, and Hee-Jung Cho.
• Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 2-101, Dongin Dong, Daegu 702-422, South Korea.
• Brain Res. 2013 Jul 26;1523:37-48.

AbstractIn this study, the expression and functional role of metallothioneins I and II (MT-I/II) were evaluated in the spinal cord in rat models of inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) injection into the hindpaw induced an increase in MT-I/II protein expression in bilateral dorsal and ventral horns throughout the spinal cord, while chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve induced an increase in MT-I/II expression in the ipsilateral dorsal and ventral horns of the lower lumbar spinal cord. Increased MT-I/II immunoreactivity was predominantly localized to vascular endothelial cells. CFA injection- and CCI-induced MT-I/II expression was inhibited by intrathecal administration of MT-I siRNA. Treatment with MT-I siRNA before CFA injection or at early time points after CCI resulted in a significant attenuation of mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, while treatment at later time points had no effect on established pain behaviors. Our results suggest that endogenous MT-I/II might play an important role in the pathogenesis of pain behaviors, participating in the initiation of inflammatory and neuropathic pain rather than in their maintenance.Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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