Pain
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This study examined the differential mechanisms of mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia after injection of interleukin (IL) 1β into the orofacial area of male Sprague-Dawley rats. The subcutaneous administration of IL-1β produced both mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. Although a pretreatment with iodoresiniferatoxin (IRTX), a transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) antagonist, did not affect IL-1β-induced mechanical allodynia, it significantly abolished IL-1β-induced thermal hyperalgesia. ⋯ Double immunofluorescence revealed the colocalization of PKA with neurofilament 200 (NF200) and of PKC with the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the trigeminal ganglion. Furthermore, NMDA receptor 1 (NR1) and TRPV1 predominantly colocalize with PKA and PKC, respectively, in the trigeminal ganglion. These results suggest that IL-1β-induced mechanical allodynia is mediated by sensitized peripheral NMDA/AMPA receptors through PKA-mediated signaling in the large-diameter primary afferent nerve fibers, whereas IL-1β-induced thermal hyperalgesia is mediated by sensitized peripheral TRPV1 receptors through PKC-mediated signaling in the small-diameter primary afferent nerve fibers.
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TRPV1 is expressed in a subpopulation of myelinated Aδ and unmyelinated C-fibers. TRPV1+ fibers are essential for the transmission of nociceptive thermal stimuli and for the establishment and maintenance of inflammatory hyperalgesia. We have previously shown that high-power, short-duration pulses from an infrared diode laser are capable of predominantly activating cutaneous TRPV1+ Aδ-fibers. ⋯ In contrast, Trpv1-/- mice, which are generally unresponsive to noxious thermal stimuli at lower power settings, exhibit withdrawal responses and inflammation-induced sensitization using high-power, short duration Aδ stimuli. In rats, systemic morphine suppresses paw withdrawal, inflammatory guarding, and hyperalgesia in a dose-dependent fashion using the same Aδ stimuli. The qualitative intensity of Aδ responses, the leftward shift of the stimulus-response curve, the increased guarding behaviors during carrageenan inflammation or after incision, and the reduction of Aδ responses with morphine suggest multiple roles for TRPV1+ Aδ fibers in nociceptive processes and their modulation of pathological pain conditions.
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Patients with bone cancer commonly experience bone pain that is severe, intolerable, and difficult to manage. The rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) plays an important role in the development of chronic pain via descending facilitation of spinal nociception. The compelling evidence shows that glial P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) is involved in the induction and maintenance of chronic pain syndromes. ⋯ Given that 5-HT in the RVM is involved in modulating spinal nociception, changes in 5-HT and Fos expression were addressed in the spinal cord. Inhibition of P2X7R by BBG or small-interference RNA targeting P2X7 in the RVM markedly reduced 5-HT level and Fos expression in the spinal cord. The data clearly suggest that the activation of microglial P2X7R in the RVM contributes to the development of bone cancer pain via upregulation of spinal 5HT levels by the descending pain facilitatory system.