British journal of anaesthesia
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The mechanisms for spinal cord stimulation (SCS) to alleviate chronic pain are only partially known. We aimed to elucidate the roles of adenosine A1 and A3 receptors (A1R, A3R) in the inhibition of spinal nociceptive transmission by SCS, and further explored whether 2'-deoxycoformycin (dCF), an inhibitor of adenosine deaminase, can potentiate SCS-induced analgesia. ⋯ Spinal A1R and A3R signalling can exert tonic suppression and also contribute to SCS-induced inhibition of spinal nociceptive transmission after nerve injury. Inhibition of adenosine deaminase may represent a novel adjuvant pharmacotherapy to enhance SCS-induced analgesia.
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Cigarette smoking is commonly reported among chronic pain patients in the clinic. Although chronic nicotine exposure is directly linked to nociceptive hypersensitivity in rodents, underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain unknown. ⋯ These findings implicate a role of Drd2-mediated dopaminergic VTA→ACC pathway signalling in chronic nicotine-elicited allodynia.