Masui. The Japanese journal of anesthesiology
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We previously reported that ketamine analgesia in acute pain was produced by the activation of the monoaminergic descending inhibitory system. Recent studies have confirmed that the NMDA receptor antagonists attenuate the hyperalgesia in neuropathic pain. In this study, we investigated the suppressive effects of a clinically available NMDA antagonist, ketamine, and the mechanisms of its effects on neuropathic pain in rats with peripheral mononeuropathy. ⋯ The CCI rats showed increased NE and 5HT concentrations on both ligated and unligated sides of spinal dorsal horn, compared with shamoperated rats. IP ketamine (50 mg.kg-1) in the CCI rats did not boost the spinal NE or 5HT levels. These results indicate that the anti-hyperalgesic effect of ketamine is derived from a direct action on the spinal cord, but not from the activation of monoaminergic descending inhibitory systems.