• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.1-10
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• 2010

Background: Recent studies indicate that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in persistent pain, including neuropathic and inflammatory pain. Since the data suggest that ROS are involved in central sensitization, the present study examines the levels of activated N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the dorsal horn after an exogenous supply of three antioxidants in rats with chronic post-ischemia pain (CPIP). This serves as an animal model of complex regional pain syndrome type-I induced by hindpaw ischemia/reperfusion injury. Methods: The application of tight-fitting O-rings for a period of three hours produced CPIP in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Allopurinol 4 mg/kg, allopurinol 40 mg/kg, superoxide dismutase (SOD) 4,000 U/kg, N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) 10 mg/kg and SOD 4,000 U/kg plus L-NAME 10 mg/kg were administered intraperitoneally just after O-ring application and on the first and second days after reperfusion. Mechanical allodynia was measured, and activation of the NMDA receptor subunit 1 (pNR1) of the lumbar spinal cord (L4-L6) was analyzed by the Western blot three days after reperfusion. Results: Allopurinol reduced mechanical allodynia and attenuated the enhancement of spinal pNR1 expression in CPIP rats. SOD and L-NAME also blocked spinal pNR1 in accordance with the reduced mechanical allodynia in rats with CPIP. Conclusions: The present data suggest the contribution of superoxide, produced via xanthine oxidase, and the participation of superoxide and nitric oxide as a precursor of peroxynitrite in NMDA mediated central sensitization. Finally, the findings support a therapeutic potential for the manipulation of superoxide and nitric oxide in ischemia/reperfusion related pain conditions.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.15-20
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• 2007

Background: Lipo-prostaglandin E1 (Lipo-$PGE_1$) has vasodilating and platelet aggregation inhibitory characteristics and it has been used as a treatment for patients with blood flow dysfunction disease. Based on the mechanisms of lumbar spinal stenosis, including veno congestion, neuro-ischemia and mechanical compression, we aimed to study whether intravenous Lipo-$PGE_1$ injection has any therapeutic effect on hyperalgesia in a rat foraminal stenosis model. Methods: In this study, twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into the control (n = 10) and Lipo-$PGE_1$ (n = 10) groups. A small stainless steel rod was inserted into the L5-6 intervertebral foramen to induce intervertebral foramen stenosis and chronic DRG compression. In the Lipo-$PGE_1$ group, $0.15{\mu}g/kg$ of Lipo-$PGE_1$ were injected intravenously via a tail vein for 10 days starting from the $3^{rd}$ day after operation. Behavioral testing for mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia was performed for 3 weeks after the injections. Results: From the $10^{th}$ day after Lipo-$PGE_1$ injection, the rats in the experimental group showed significant recovery of their mechanical threshold, and this effect was maintained for 3 weeks. No significant differences of the thermal hyperalgesia were observed between the two groups. Conclusions: These findings suggest that intravenously injected Lipo-$PGE_1$ may be effective for alleviating neuropathic pain, which isthe main symptom of spinal stenosis, by improving the blood flow dysfunction.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.23-29
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• 2020

Background: Neuropathic pain (NP) is considered a clinically incurable condition despite various treatment options due to its diverse causes and complicated disease mechanisms. Since the early 2000s, multipotent human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have been used in the treatment of NP in animal models. However, the effects of hMSC injections have not been studied in chronic post-ischemia pain (CPIP) mice models. Here, we investigated whether intrathecal (IT) and intrapaw (IP) injections of hMSCs can reduce mechanical allodynia in CPIP model mice. Methods: Seventeen CPIP C57/BL6 mice were selected and randomized into four groups: IT sham (n = 4), IT stem (n = 5), IP sham (n = 4), and IP stem (n = 4). Mice in the IT sham and IT stem groups received an injection of 5 μL saline and 2 × 10⁴ hMSCs, respectively, while mice in the IP sham and IP stem groups received an injection of 5 μL saline and 2 × 10⁵ hMSCs, respectively. Mechanical allodynia was assessed using von Frey filaments from pre-injection to 30 days post-injection. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia were also evaluated. Results: IT and IP injections of hMSCs improved mechanical allodynia. GFAP expression was decreased on day 25 post-injection compared with the sham group. Injections of hMSCs improved allodynia and GFAP expression was decreased compared with the sham group. Conclusions: These results suggested that hMSCs may be also another treatment modality in NP model by ischemia-reperfusion.

• Applied Microscopy
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• 제39권3호
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• pp.261-266
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• 2009

본 연구는 잘 알려진 통증모델을 대상으로 척수신경절세포의 변성과정을 경시적으로 관찰하고자 하였다. 10주령된 Sprague-Dawley 계통의 랫드를 실험동물로 사용하였고, pentobarbital (50mg/kg)로 마취상태에서 다섯째 허리신경(L5)의 앞가지를 결찰한 후 1일, 3일, 7일 실험군으로 구분하였다. 실험 1일과 3일군에서 작은 신경절세포에서 퇴행성변화가 먼저 관찰되었고, 중간 및 큰 신경절세포에서는 그 변화가 미약했다. 7일 실험군에서는 작은 신경절세포의 수가 크게 감소하였던 반면, 중간 및 큰 신경절세포에서는 큰 변화가 없었다. 전자현미경 소견으로는 작은 신경절세포의 경우 초기 1일 및 3일군에서 미토콘드리아의 능선의 변형과 부종이 관찰되었으며, 세포질은 검게 변성되었다. 반면 큰 신경절세포의 경우 모든 실험군에서 변형된 세포가 관찰되지 않았으며, 소기관들도 잘 보존되었다. 이상의 결과를 요약하면, 척수신경 결찰에 의한 통증자극으로 랫드 척수신경절 내 작은 신경절세포는 다른 신경절세포에 비해 퇴행성변화가 빠르게 나타났으며, 미토콘드리아 등 세포질소기관의 부종을 동반한 암적화변성(dark degeneration)을 통해 사멸되었다.