• The Korean Journal of Physiology
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.89-100
• /
• 1988

Effect of clonidine on the dorsal horn cell responses to mechanical stimulations were studies in 3 spinalized cats and 10 cats with intact spinal cord. The type of dorsal horn cells was determined according to their response patterns to four graded mechanical stimulations (brush, pressure, pinch and squeeze) applied to the respective receptive fields. In the present study the results obtained only from the wide dynamic range (WDR) cells were included. The responses of the WDR cells to noxious mechanical stimuli were selectively suppressed following intravenous administration of clonidine into the experimental animals. The clonidine-induced changes in responses of the WDR cells to mechanical stimulation were not affected by naloxone or propranolol whereas effect of clonidine on WDR cell responses was almost completely abolished after intravenous administration of yohimbine. Also in the spinalized cats results parallel to those observed in cats with intact spinal cord were obtained. The results of present study strongly implies that analgesic action of clonidine can be mediated through excitation of ${\alpha}_{2}-adrenoceptor$ even at the spinal cord level without supraspinal mechanism.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.50 no.5
• /
• pp.420-425
• /
• 2011

Objective : Excitatory amino acids play important roles in the development of secondary pathology following spinal cord injury (SCI). This study was designed to evaluate morphological changes in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and assess profiles of pain behaviors following intraspinal injection of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) or quisqualate (QUIS) in rats. Methods : Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into three groups : a sham, and two experimental groups receiving injections of 125 mM NMDA or QUIS into their spinal dorsal horn. Following injection, hypersensitivity to cold and mechanical stimuli, and excessive grooming behaviors were assessed serially for four weeks. At the end of survival periods, morphological changes in the spinal cord were evaluated. Results : Cold allodynia was developed in both the NMDA and QUIS groups, which was significantly higher in the QUIS group than in the NMDA group. The mechanical threshold for the ipsilateral hind paw in both QUIS and NMDA groups was significantly lower than that in the control group. The number of groomers was significantly higher in the NMDA group than in the QUIS group. The size of the neck region of the spinal dorsal horn, but not the superficial layer, was significantly smaller in the NMDA and QUIS groups than in the control group. Conclusion : Intraspinal injection of NMDA or QUIS can be used as an excitotoxic model of SCI for further research on spinal neuropathic pain.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.43 no.1
• /
• pp.58-67
• /
• 2019

Background: Diabetic neuropathy is one of the most devastating ailments of the peripheral nervous system. Neuropathic pain develops in ~30% of diabetics. Here, we examined the suppressive effect of GS-KG9 on neuropathic pain induced by streptozotocin (STZ). Methods: Hyperglycemia was induced by intraperitoneal injection of STZ. Rats showing blood glucose level > 250 mg/dL were divided into five groups, and treatment groups received oral saline containing GS-KG9 (50 mg/kg, 150 mg/kg, or 300 mg/kg) twice daily for 4 wk. The effects of GS-KG9 on pain behavior, microglia activation in the lumbar spinal cord and ventral posterolateral (VPL) nucleus of the thalamus, and c-Fos expression in the dorsal horn of the lumbar spinal cord were examined. Results: The development of neuropathic pain began at Day 5 and peaked at Week 4 after STZ injection. Mechanical and thermal pains were both significantly attenuated in GS-KG9-treated groups from 10 d after STZ injection as compared to those in the STZ control. GS-KG9 also repressed microglia activation in L4 dorsal horn and VPL region of the thalamus. In addition, increase in c-Fos-positive cells within L4 dorsal horn lamina I and II of the STZ control group was markedly alleviated by GS-KG9. Conclusion: These results suggest that GS-KG9 effectively relieves STZ-induced neuropathic pain by inhibiting microglial activation in the spinal cord dorsal horn and VPL region of the thalamus.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.9-25
• /
• 2003

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of therapeutic ultrasound after muscle contusion injury by observed immunoreactivity of substance-P that plays an important role in pain transmission. Ultrasound irradiation(1MHz, 1W/$cm^{2}$ continuous mode, treatment time 5 min) was applied through water submersion technique to 1 limb daily by kept off 5cm from muscle belly of gastrocnemius. The result of this study were as follows. 1. The substance-P was expressed in lamina I and II of dorsal horn of spinal cord, also in lamina IV and around of central cannel of spinal cord. Experimental group was lower expressed than control group with the exception of 1 days. 2. The substance-P immunoreactivity was decreased for 5 days together in lumbar and sacral region of all groups, expecially experimental group was rapidly. These data suggest therapeutic ultrasound may stimulate pain relief by diminish of substance-P in dorsal horn of spinal cord.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.1 no.3
• /
• pp.241-249
• /
• 1997

The aim of the present study is to examine the brainstem sites where the electrical stimulation produces a suppression of dorsal horn neuron responses of neuropathic rats. An experimental neuropathy was induced by a unilateral ligation of L5-L6 spinal nerves of rats. Ten to 15 days after surgery, the spinal cord was exposed and single-unit recording was made on wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons in the dorsal horn. Neuronal responses to mechanical stimuli applied to somatic receptive fields were examined to see if they were modulated by electrical stimulation of various brainstem sites. Electrical stimulation of periaqueductal gray (PAG), n. raphe magnus (RMg) or n. reticularis gigantocellularis (Gi) significantly suppressed responses of WDR neurons -to both noxious and non-noxious stimuli. Electrical stimulation of other brainstem areas, such as locus coeruleus. (LC) and n. reticularis paragigantocellularis lateralis (LPGi), produced little or no suppression. Microinjection of morphine into PAG, RMg, or Gi also produced a suppression as similar pattern to the case of electrical stimulation, whereas morphine injection into LC or LPGi exerted no effects. The results suggest that PAG, NRM and Gi are the principle brainstem nuclei involved in the descending inhibitory systems responsible for the control of neuropathic pain. These systems are likely activated by endogenous opioids and exert their inhibitory effect by acting on WDR neurons in the spinal cord.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.245-257
• /
• 1988

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of clonidine on the response of the dorsal horn cells to intra-arterially administered bradykinin $(BK:40{\mu}g)$ and $K^+(4mg)$ in spinal cats and cats with intact spinal cord. The change in the activities of low threshold (LT), high threshold (HT) and wide dynamic range (WDR) cells induced by BK and $K^+$ were determined before and after treatment of animals with clonidine. Also studied was mechanism of inhibitory action of clonidine on the responses of dorsal horn cells to the chemical algogenics. Number of WDR cell responded to intra-arterially administered BK and $K^+$ was greater in spinal animals than in cats with intact spinal cord. Following administration of BK or $K^+$ no change was observed in the activity of LT cell whereas activity of HT cell increased invariably. The increased response of HT cell to BK and $K^+$ was markedly suppressed by clonidine. On the other hand, such inhibitory actions of clonidine were almost completely blocked by yohimbine. The majority of WDR cells were activated by $K^+$ while response of WDR cells to BK was diverse (excitatory, inhibitory or mixed). These results indicate that clonidine inhibits responses of the dorsal horn cells not only to thermal or mechanical stimulations but also to chemical algogenics, and that the inhibitory action of clonidine is generally mediated through excitation of ${\alpha}_2-adrenoreceptors$.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.77-86
• /
• 2005

In this study, we examined the morphine-induced modulation of the nociceptive spinal dorsal horn neuronal activities before and after formalin-induced inflammatory pain. Intradermal injection of formalin induced time-dependent changes in the spontaneous activity of nociceptive dorsal horn neurons. In naive cats before the injection of formalin, iontophoretically applied morphine attenuated the naturally and electrically evoked neuronal responses of dorsal horn neurons. However, neuronal responses after the formalin-induced inflammation were significantly increased by morphine. Bicuculline, $GABA_A$ antagonist, increased the naturally and electrically evoked neuronal responses of dorsal horn neurons. This increase in neuronal responses due to bicuculline after the formalin-induced inflammation was larger than that in the naive state, suggesting that basal $GABA_A$ tone increased after the formalin injection. Muscimol, $GABA_A$ agonist, reduced the neuronal responses before the treatment with formalin, but not after formalin treatment, again indicating an increase in the GABAergic basal tone after the formalin injection which saturated the neuronal responses to GABA agonist. Morphine-induced increase in the spinal nociceptive responses after formalin treatment was inhibited by co-application of muscimol. These data suggest that formalin-induced inflammation increases $GABA_A$ basal tone and the inhibition of this augmented $GABA_A$ basal tone by morphine results in a paradoxical morphineinduced increase in the spinal nociceptive neuronal responses after the formalin-induced inflammation.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.326-335
• /
• 1996

Background: Though a number of studies have described the distribution of substance P(SP)-like immunoreactivity in the spinal cord, they have been focused on lamina I and II of the dorsal horn and there are little morphological studies on the topographic distribution and ultrastructure of the SP immunoreactive neurons especially in the ventral horn of the spinal cord. this study was conducted to identify distribution pattern of SP immunoreactive neurons and to difine the synaptic organization of their processes in ventral horn of the thoracic cord of the cat by preembbeding immunocytochemical method using SP antiserum. Methods: Five adults cats of either sex were used and deeply anesthetized by intramuscular injection of ketamine. After removal of the spinal cord, samples of thoracic cord were taken and placed in fresh fixative at $4^{\circ}C$ for 2 hours. Transverse sections $50{\mu}m$ thick were processed using the preembbeding immunocytochemical method and incubated consecutively in the specific primary antibody and the 10% normal goat serum, the rabbit anti-substance P antiserum, the biotin-labelled goat anti-rabbit IgG and finally the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex. The processed tissue sections were throughly washed and stained in the black with 1% uranyl acetate. Section were examined on a electron microscope. Results: 1) SP immunoreactive neurons were observed in the gray matter around central canal. 2) In lamina I and II SP immunoreactivity was observed in both myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers, but in ventral horn only in the unmyelinated nerve fibers. 3) SP immunoreactive axon terminals with small round and large dense core vesicles made chemical synapses onto the dendrites of motor neurons in the ventral horn. Conclusion: SP immunoreactive neurons might play an important role in modulation of motor neurons in the ventral horn of the thoracic cord of the cat.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.45 no.3
• /
• pp.135-143
• /
• 2015

The aim of this study was to investigate effects on joint mobilization in neurochemical changes of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (NADPH-d) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) of the spinal cord neurons after right knee joint immobilization (RKJI) and in ultrastructural changes of the femoral nerves innervating the muscles acting on RKJI. A total of 15 guinea pigs were used and divided into 5 groups. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect NADPH-d and NOS. NADPH-d and NOS were not expressed in the ventral horn of control and experimental groups, but were expressed or not in the dorsal horn according to the duration of release after RKJI and the presence or absence of joint mobilization. Ultrastructures of the femoral nerves in experimental groups had partial demyelination and condensed clumps in axon. Effects on manipulative therapy after RKJI were confirmed from expression of NADPH-d and NOS in the dorsal horn of the lumbosacral spinal cord. Manipulative therapy was more effective against a long-term immobilization than a short-term immobilization.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.22-32
• /
• 2006

Background: This study was conducted to investigate the roles of the spinal and peripheral ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid (GABA)- ergic systems for the mechanical hypersensitivity produced by chronic compression of the dorsal root ganglion (CCD). Methods: CCD was performed at the left 5th lumbar dorsal root ganglion. The paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) to von Frey stimuli was measured. The mechanical responsiveness of the lumbar dorsal horn neurons was examined. GABAergic drugs were delivered with intrathecal (i.t.) or intraplantar (i.pl.) injection or by topical application onto the spinal cord. Results: CCD produced mechanical hypersensitivity, which was evidenced by the decrease of the PWT, and it lasting for 10 weeks. For the rats showing mechanical hypersensitivity, the mechanical responsiveness of the lumbar dorsal horn neurons was enhanced. A similar increase was observed with the normal lumbar dorsal horn neurons when the GABA-A receptor antagonist bicuculline was topically applied. An i.t. injection of GABA-A or GABA-B receptor agonist, muscimol or baclofen, alleviated the CCD-induced hypersensitivity. Topical application of same drugs attenuated the CCD-induced enhanced mechanical responsiveness of the lumbar dorsal horn neurons. CCD-induced hypersensitivity was also improved by low-dose muscimol applied (i.pl.) into the affected hind paw, whereas no effects could be observed with high-dose muscimol or baclofen. Conclusions: The results suggest that the neuropathic pain associated with compression of the dorsal root ganglion is caused by hyperexcitability of the dorsal horn neurons due to a loss of spinal GABAergic inhibition. Peripheral application of low-dose GABA-A receptor agonist can be useful to treat this pain.