• Li-Na Wang, Jian-Ping Yang, Ying Zhan, Fu-Hai Ji, Xiu-Yun Wang, Jian-Ling Zuo, and Qi-Nian Xu.
• Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
• J. Neurosci. Res. 2012 Mar 1;90(3):672-81.

AbstractPrevious studies have suggested that the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) from microglia in spinal cord is necessary for maintaining pain hypersensitivity after nerve injury. However, little is known about its role in cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP), which is in some ways unique. This study demonstrates a critical role of minocycline (a potent inhibitor of microglial activation)-modulated BDNF in the induction and maintenance of behavioral hypersensitivity in a rat model of CIBP. We assessed mechanical threshold and spontaneous pain of CIBP rats. Moreover, minocycline was administered intrathecally from day 4 to day 6 (early stage) or from day 10 to day 12 (later stage), after carcinoma cell inoculation. Real-time PCR, Western blots, and double immunofluorescence were used to detect the expression of OX-42 (marker of activated microglia), phosphorylated p38-MAPK (p-p38), and BDNF. We found that intrathecal minocycline could prevent CIBP at an early stage of tumor growth (from day 4 to day 6). However, at the late stage (from day 10 to day 12), intrathecal minocycline had no effect. Moreover, the expression of OX-42 and BDNF under CIBP, peaking on day 6, were all reduced after minocycline injection from day 4 to day 6. The ability of minocycline-induced reduction of BDNF in the induction of behavioral hypersensitivity could provide an opportunity for alleviating CIBP.Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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