Experimental neurology
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Experimental neurology · Sep 2005
Comparative Study Clinical TrialInhibition of neutral endopeptidase (NEP) facilitates neurogenic inflammation.
Neutral endopeptidase (NEP) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) are involved in neuropeptide degradation and may modulate neurogenic inflammation. We therefore explored the effect of specific blockers of NEP and ACE on the intensity of neurogenic inflammation. We investigated eight subjects on three occasions. ⋯ No effect on the areas of hyperalgesia and allodynia could be detected. Our findings suggest that NEP but not ACE is most important for CGRP degradation in human skin. This may be of particular importance for the understanding of pain disorders like migraine or complex regional pain syndrome.
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Experimental neurology · Sep 2005
Comparative StudyUnilateral subcutaneous bee venom but not formalin injection causes contralateral hypersensitized wind-up and after-discharge of the spinal withdrawal reflex in anesthetized spinal rats.
This study aimed to investigate the effect of tonic nociception on spinal withdrawal reflexes including (1) long lasting spontaneous responses elicited by subcutaneous (s.c.) administration of formalin (2.5%, 50 microl) and bee venom (BV, 0.2 mg/50 microl) into the hind paw and (2) corresponding ipsilateral (primary) and contralateral (secondary) hypersensitivity to noxious pinch and repetitive supra-threshold (1.5 x T) electrical stimuli at different frequencies (3 Hz: wind-up; 20 Hz: after-discharge) in anesthetized spinal rats. Spinal withdrawal reflexes were studied by simultaneously assessing single motor units (SMUs) electromyographic (EMG) activities from the bilateral medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscles. Subcutaneous formalin-induced persistent spontaneous SMU EMG responses were in typical biphasic manner with an apparent silent period (about 13-18 min), but in contrast, BV elicited monophasic long lasting (about 1 h) SMU EMG responses without any resting state. ⋯ Additionally, contralateral electrically evoked hypersensitivity of the SMUs was found only following BV injection, not in the formalin test. The maintenance and development of BV-induced contralateral hypersensitivity of the spinal withdrawal reflex to noxious electrical stimulation indeed depend on different central pharmacological receptors. The spinal non-NMDA, but not the NMDA, receptors may play important role in BV-induced contralateral central hyperexcitability and sensitization.
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Experimental neurology · Sep 2005
Comparative StudyUpregulation of Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors in neurons and astrocytes in the dorsal horn following spinal cord injury.
Of the glutamate receptor types, the metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are G proteins coupled and can initiate a number of intracellular pathways leading to hyperexcitability of spinal neurons. In this study, we tested the expression of mGluRs to determine which cell types might contribute to sustained neuronal hyperexcitability in the lumbar enlargement with postoperative day (POD) 7 (early), 14 (late), and 30 (chronic phase) following spinal cord injury (SCI) by unilateral hemisection at T13 in Sprague-Dawley rats. Expression was determined by confocal analyses of immunocytochemical reaction product of neurons (NeuN positive) and astrocytes (GFAP positive) in the dorsal horn on both sides of the L4 segment. ⋯ In addition, mGluR(1) and mGluR(5) expression after hemisection was significantly increased in astrocytes in early, late, and chronic phases; whereas mGluR(2/3) did not display any significant changes. In conclusion, our data demonstrate long-term changes in expression levels of Group I mGluRs (mGluR(1) and mGluR(5)) in both neurons and astrocytes in segments below a unilateral SCI. Thus, permanent alterations in dorsal horn receptor expression may play important roles in transmission of nociceptive responses in the spinal cord following SCI.
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Experimental neurology · Sep 2005
Comparative StudyInduction of interleukin-6 in dorsal root ganglion neurons after gradual elongation of rat sciatic nerve.
In the reconstruction of a segmental defect in injured peripheral nerves, gradual nerve elongation has become an important alternative to nerve grafting. To clarify biochemical responses in peripheral sensory neurons after nerve elongation, we examined the expression of cytokines and neurotrophins related to nerve regeneration. We first established rat elongation models by lengthening left femurs up to 20.0 mm at the rate of 1.0, 2.0, or 20.0 mm/day. ⋯ In histochemical analysis, IL-6-immunoreactivity was predominant in neurofilament-positive, medium to large DRG neurons. Application of IL-6 to cultured Schwann cells increased mRNA for peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22), a major myelin component. These results suggest that IL-6 plays a key role in biochemical responses in peripheral sensory neurons after gradual nerve elongation.