Pain
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Peripheral neuropathy is a common adverse effect of paclitaxel treatment. To analyze the contribution of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) in the development of paclitaxel-induced thermal hyperalgesia, TRPV1 expression in the rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) was analyzed after paclitaxel treatment. Behavioral assessment using the tail-flick test showed that intraperitoneal administration of 2 and 4 mg/kg paclitaxel induced thermal hyperalgesia after days 7, 14, and 21. ⋯ TRPV1 immunostaining was up-regulated in paw skin day 14 after paclitaxel treatment. Moreover, in situ hybridization histochemistry revealed that most of the TRPV1 mRNA-labeled neurons in the DRG were small or medium in size. These results suggest that paclitaxel treatment increases TRPV1 expression in DRG neurons and may contribute to functional peripheral neuropathic pain.