mdl-100907 and Pain--Postoperative

One promising strategy to prevent the chronicity of post-operative pain (POP) is to attenuate acute POP during the early phase by efficacious medications with fewer side effects. Duloxetine, one of the serotonin (5-HT)-norepinephrine (NE) reuptake inhibitors (SNRI), is used to treat a wide range of acute and chronic pain. However, its effect on POP has not been investigated. In the present study, we investigated the anti-hypersensitivity effect of duloxetine using a rat model of POP. The possible involvement of spinal 5-HT2A and α2-noradrenergic receptors were also evaluated by using antagonists for 5-HT2A (ketanserin) or α2-noradrenergic receptors (idazoxan). Finally, with the method of in vivo microdialysis, the increase in spinal NA and 5-HT levels after intraperitoneal (i.p.) delivery of duloxetine were investigated. The results showed that intrathecal (i.t.) or i.p. delivery of duloxetine produced an anti-hyperalgesic effect in a dose-dependent manner. The anti-hypersensitivity effect of duloxetine was partly attenuated by pretreatment with ketanserin or idazoxane. Microdialysis study revealed that 5-HT and NA concentrations at the spinal dorsal horn were increased, peaking at 30min after i.p. injection of 20mg/kg duloxetine. These findings indicate that duloxetine inhibits POP by increasing spinal NA and 5-HT levels and activating spinal 5-HT2A or α2-noradrenergic receptors.

Topics: Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Antagonists; Analgesics; Animals; Duloxetine Hydrochloride; Hyperalgesia; Idazoxan; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Injections, Spinal; Ketanserin; Male; Microdialysis; Norepinephrine; Pain, Postoperative; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; Serotonin; Serotonin 5-HT2 Receptor Antagonists; Spinal Cord; Thiophenes

Citral (3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal) is an open-chain monoterpenoid present in the essential oils of several medicinal plants. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of orally administered citral in experimental models of acute and chronic nociception, inflammation, and gastric ulcers caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Oral treatment with citral significantly inhibited the neurogenic and inflammatory pain responses induced by intra-plantar injection of formalin. Citral also had prophylactic and therapeutic anti-nociceptive effects against mechanical hyperalgesia in plantar incision surgery, chronic regional pain syndrome, and partial ligation of sciatic nerve models, without producing any significant motor dysfunction. In addition, citral markedly attenuated the pain response induced by intra-plantar injection of glutamate and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA, a protein kinase C activator), as well as by intrathecal (i.t.) injection of ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptor agonists (N-methyl-D-aspartic acid [NMDA] and 1-amino-1,3-dicarboxycyclopentane [trans-ACPD], respectively), substance P, and cytokine tumour necrosis factor-α. However, citral potentiated behaviours indicative of pain caused by i.t., but not intra-plantar, injection of a transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor type 1 (TRPV1) agonist. Finally, the anti-nociceptive action of citral was found to involve significant activation of the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor. The effect of citral was accompanied by a gastro-protective effect against NSAID-induced ulcers. Together, these results show the potential of citral as a new drug for the treatment of pain.

Topics: Acute Pain; Acyclic Monoterpenes; Analgesics; Animals; Capsaicin; Chronic Pain; Excitatory Amino Acids; Formaldehyde; Glutamic Acid; Hyperalgesia; Ischemia; Ketanserin; Male; Mice; Monoterpenes; Neuralgia; Pain, Postoperative; Rats, Wistar; Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A; Serotonin 5-HT2 Receptor Antagonists; Stomach Ulcer; Substance P; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha