neuropeptide-y and Mononeuropathies

The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the midbrain periaqueductal grey (PAG) on the nociceptive modulation in mononeuropathic rats. NPY was microinjected into the PAG. The latency of paw withdrawal (PWL), assessed by the hot-plate (52 ) and the Randall Selitto test, was measured. Intra-PAG administration of 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 nmol of NPY significantly increased the PWLs in a dose-dependent manner. Co-administration of 0.2 nmol of NPY(28-36) and 5.5 nmol of naloxone significantly attenuated the NPY-induced increase in PWLs. The results suggest that Y(1) receptor may mediate NPY-induced anti-nociception, and that the opioid receptors in PAG may also be involved in this process in mononeuropathic rats.

Topics: Analgesics; Animals; Male; Microinjections; Mononeuropathies; Neuropeptide Y; Nociceptors; Pain; Pain Threshold; Periaqueductal Gray; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Demyelinating diseases can be associated with painful sensory phenomena such as tactile allodynia and hyperalgesia. To study the mechanisms underlying demyelination-induced pain, we have characterized a novel model of demyelination of the sciatic or saphenous nerve. Topical lysolecithin application causes focal demyelination of afferent nerve A-fibers without axonal loss, as assessed either by electron and light microscopy or by immunohistochemical analysis of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) for a neuronal injury marker, activating transcription factor 3. Focal demyelination is accompanied by spontaneous action potentials in afferents and increased expression of neuropeptide Y and Na(v)1.3 sodium channels specifically in DRG neurons that coexpress a specific marker of myelinated afferents. In contrast, expression of tetrodotoxin-resistant, Na(v)1.8 sodium channels is specifically decreased in the same subgroup of DRG cells. Central sensitization of somatosensory processing is also induced, with increased behavioral reflex responsiveness to thermal and mechanical stimuli. These changes are reversed by intrathecal administration of an NMDA receptor antagonist or cannabinoid (CB) receptor agonist, but not by a mu-opioid receptor agonist. Recovery of behavioral reflexes occurred approximately 3 weeks after lysolecithin treatment. This is the first time that demyelination of afferent A-fibers has been shown to specifically induce neuropathic pain and indicates that axonal damage is not a prerequisite for development of the pain state. The profile of phenotypic changes in DRG is distinct from other pain models and displays a sensitivity to NMDA and CB receptor agents that may be exploitable therapeutically.

Topics: Action Potentials; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Cannabinoids; Demyelinating Diseases; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Administration Routes; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; Ganglia, Spinal; Immunohistochemistry; Lysophosphatidylcholines; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mononeuropathies; Nerve Fibers, Myelinated; Neurons, Afferent; Neuropeptide Y; Pain; Peripheral Nerves; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; Receptors, Opioid, mu; Reflex; Sciatic Nerve; Sodium Channels