Articles: neuralgia.
-
Despite the increasing knowledge of the etiology of neuropathic pain, this type of chronic pain is resistant to available analgesics in approximately 50% of patients and therefore is continuously a subject of considerable interest for physiologists, neurologists, medicinal chemists, pharmacologists and others searching for more effective treatment options for this debilitating condition. ⋯ The prevalence of CIPN, potential causes, risk factors, symptoms and molecular mechanisms underlying this pharmacoresistant condition are discussed.
-
Journal of anesthesia · Jun 2020
Stiripentol alleviates neuropathic pain in L5 spinal nerve-transected mice.
Antiepileptic drugs are used not only for the treatment of epilepsy but also for that of neuropathic pain. However, their action mechanisms have not always been well explained. Stiripentol, an effective antiepileptic drug indicated as a therapeutic for Dravet syndrome, was recently shown to act as an inhibitor of lactate dehydrogenase in astrocytes. In this present study, we examined the effect of stiripentol on neuropathic pain in L5 spinal nerve-transected mice. ⋯ This present study demonstrated that stiripentol was effective against neuropathic pain and suggested that the astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle was involved in such pain.
-
Neurotoxicity research · Jun 2020
Behavioral, Electrophysiological, and Histological Characterization of a New Rat Model for Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathic Pain: Therapeutic Potential of Duloxetine and Allopregnanolone Concomitant Treatment.
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is beneficial against breast cancer, but its toxicity causes painful chemotherapy-induced neuropathy which decreases seriously patients' quality of life. Development of effective therapy is crucial because current treatments are unsatisfactory. While animal models have previously been produced to test therapeutics against chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, neuropathic pain evoked by the frequently used neoadjuvant-chemotherapy involving sequentially epirubicin and docetaxel has never been modeled. ⋯ This concomitant therapy was more effective than separate duloxetine or allopregnanolone treatment to prevent epirubicin-docetaxel induced cold allodynia, mechanical allodynia/hyperalgesia, peripheral nerve functional/electrophysiological, and histological alterations. Interestingly, duloxetine-allopregnanolone concomitant treatment (but not duloxetine) also prevented epirubicin-docetaxel induced Schwann cell dedifferentiation and related macrophage (CD11b/c-positive cells) infiltration in sciatic nerves. Altogether, our results suggest that duloxetine and allopregnanolone concomitant treatment may represent a promising therapeutic option to counteract efficiently painful neuropathy or epirubicin-docetaxel evoked peripheral nerve tissue damages and dysfunctions.
-
Observational Study
Comparison of ropivacaine with ropivacaine and fentanyl in continuous epidural analgesia for postherpetic neuralgia: A STROBE-compliant retrospective study.
Continuous epidural analgesia (CEA) using local anesthetics is frequently used to control herpes zoster pain and prevent postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). However, few studies have been conducted to determine the efficacy of epidural drugs administered as CEA to manage PHN. This retrospective study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of CEA with ropivacaine alone or with ropivacaine and fentanyl for controlling pain caused by PHN. ⋯ There was no difference in the management of pain in patients with PHN between the groups. Epidural administration of fentanyl with ropivacaine did not improve pain management when compared to ropivacaine alone. Although not statistically significant, the incidence of complications during CEA was higher in the opioid combination group.
-
To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture stimulation at "Zusanli"(ST36) and "Kunlun"(BL60) on the morphological changes of the spinal dorsal horn and the expression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) in the injured spinal cord of rats with neuropathic pain. ⋯ Electroacupuncture stimulation at ST36 and BL60 can increase pain threshold, improve the motor function of the affected hindlimb, and improve the necrosis of neurofibrils in the spinal dorsal horn in rats with neuropathic pain, possibly by regulating the expression of p-p38MAPK in the spinal dorsal horn.