Dexmedetomidine Injection into the Locus Ceruleus Produces Antinociception

1996 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 873-881. ◽  
Author(s):  
Tian-Zhi Guo ◽  
Jian-Yu Jiang ◽  
Ann E. Buttermann ◽  
Mervyn Maze
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Pertussis Toxin ◽  
Antinociceptive Effect ◽  
Intrathecal Injection ◽  
Locus Ceruleus ◽  
Tail Flick ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Tail Flick Latency ◽  
Pharmacologically Active ◽  
Sites Of Action

Background Alpha(2)-Adrenergic agonists such as clonidine and dexmedetomidine are known to produce sedation and analgesia in humans. The sedative effect of these agents is thought to occur through supraspinal pathways, involving the locus ceruleus (LC) and its projections in rats. While the antinociceptive response to alpha(2) agonists, given intrathecally, is mediated predominantly in the spinal cord, other sites of action have not been systematically studied. The authors examined whether alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors in the LC mediate an antinociceptive effect. Methods For administration of different drugs into the LC, guide cannulas were placed with their tips in the LC in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Dexmedetomidine (3.5 micrograms/0.2 microliter) was microinjected into the LC through the cannula, or given systemically by intraperitoneal injecton (50 micrograms/kg). The antinociceptive effect of dexmedetomidine was measured using the tail-flick latency response. To determine the sites through which dexmedetomidine injection into the LC produces antinociception, the authors examined whether this response could be perturbed by the specific alpha(2)-adrenergic antagonists atipamezole and L659,066 and pertussis toxin administered either into the LC or intrathecally before injection of dexmedetomidine systemically or directly into the LC. To eliminate the possibility that drug administered in one site (LC or intrathecal) could reach the other site, the dispositional characteristics of radiolabeled dexmedetomidine (LC) or atipamezole (intrathecal) were studied. Results Dexmedetomidine placed into the LC produces a dose-dependent increase in the tail-flick latency. This antinociceptive effect was blocked by pertussis toxin and by the alpha(2) antagonists atipamezole and L659,066 placed in the LC. Intrathecal administration of atipamezole and pertussis toxin also blocked the antinociceptive effect of dexmedetomidine placed in the LC. (3)H-dexmedetomidine introduced into the LC did not reach the spinal cord in pharmacologically active concentrations; also, intrathecally administered (3)H-atipamezole did not reach the LC in appreciable amounts. The systemic administration of dexmedetomidine produced an increase in tail-flick latency, and this effect was attenuated by the injection of atipamezole and L659,066 into the LC. Conclusions Part of the mechanism by which dexmedetomidine produces an antinociceptive effect is by an action directly on the LC, demonstrated by these studies in which antinociception produced by injection of this drug into the LC can be blocked by specific alpha(2) antagonists injected into the LC. Furthermore, the action of dexmedetomidine in the LC in turn may result in an increase in activation of alpha(2) adrenoceptors in the spinal cord, because the antinociceptive effect of LC dexmedetomidine injection also can be blocked by intrathecal injection of antipamezole and pertussis toxin.

Dexmedetomidine Enhances Analgesic Action of Nitrous Oxide

2004 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 894-904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Dawson ◽  
Daqing Ma ◽  
Andre Chow ◽  
Mervyn Maze
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Neuronal Activity ◽  
Locus Ceruleus ◽  
Tail Flick ◽  
Receptor Subtypes ◽  
Dental Surgery ◽  
Analgesic Effects ◽  
Adrenoceptor Antagonist ◽  
Tail Flick Latency

Background Nitrous oxide and dexmedetomidine are thought to mediate analgesia (antinociception in a noncommunicative organism) via alpha 2B- and alpha 2A-adrenergic receptor subtypes within the spinal cord, respectively. Nitrous oxide and dexmedetomidine exert diametrically opposite effects on neuronal activity within the locus ceruleus, a pivotal site for modulation of analgesia. Because of these differences, the authors explored whether the two analgesics in combination would provide satisfactory analgesia. Methods The analgesic effects of nitrous oxide and dexmedetomidine given both intraperitoneally and intrathecally were evaluated using the tail-flick latency test in rats. For investigation of the interaction, rats were pretreated with dexmedetomidine, either intraperitoneally or intrathecally, immediately before nitrous oxide exposure such that peak antinociceptive effects of each drug coincided. For assessment of the effect on tolerance, dexmedetomidine was administered as tolerance to nitrous oxide developed. Expression of c-Fos was used to assess neuronal activity in the locus ceruleus. Results Nitrous oxide and dexmedetomidine increased tail-flick latency with an ED50 (mean +/- SEM) of 55.0 +/- 2.2% atm for nitrous oxide, 27.6 +/- 5.1 for microg/kg intraperitoneal dexmedetomidine, and 2.9 +/- 0.1 microg for intrathecal dexmedetomidine. Combinations of systemically administered dexmedetomidine and nitrous oxide produced an additive analgesic interaction; however, neuraxially administered dexmedetomidine interacted synergistically with nitrous oxide. Tolerance to nitrous oxide was reversed by coadministration of dexmedetomidine. Prazosin, the alpha 1-/alpha 2B-adrenoceptor antagonist, attenuated the analgesic effect of nitrous oxide and prevented dexmedetomidine-induced reversal of tolerance to nitrous oxide. Nitrous oxide-induced increase of neuronal activity in the locus ceruleus was reversed by dexmedetomidine. Conclusion The synergistic analgesic interaction between nitrous oxide and dexmedetomidine within the spinal cord is obscured by a supraspinal antagonism when dexmedetomidine is administered systemically in the pretolerant state. After tolerance to nitrous oxide develops, supraspinal functional antagonism no longer obtains exposing the synergistic action at the level of the spinal cord, which expresses itself as a reversal of the tolerant state. The authors speculate that the addition of dexmedetomidine to nitrous oxide is likely to provide enhanced and more durable analgesia in settings in which nitrous oxide is currently used alone (e.g., labor and dental surgery).

Desensitization to the Behavioral Effects of α2-Adrenergic Agonists in Rats

1995 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 954-962. ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukio Hayashi ◽  
Tian-Zhi Guo ◽  
Mervyn Maze
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Chronic Treatment ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Locus Ceruleus ◽  
Tail Flick ◽  
Receptor Density ◽  
Adrenergic Agonists ◽  
Tail Flick Latency ◽  
Latency Response ◽  
Analgesic Response

Background The analgesic and sedative-hypnotic utility of the alpha 2 agonists clonidine and dexmedetomidine are currently being investigated. Both compounds exert their behavioral responses by activating central alpha 2 adrenoceptors, albeit with different selectivities and efficacies. Furthermore, the analgesic and hypnotic behavioral responses are produced at different sites and may be affected independently of one another. A series of studies was conducted in rats to determine (1) whether tolerance and cross-tolerance develop to the analgesic actions of clonidine or dexmedetomidine; (2) how the number of available alpha 2 adrenoceptors affects the analgesic response to dexmedetomidine and clonidine; and (3) how the number of available alpha 2 adrenoceptor affects the hypnotic response to dexmedetomidine. Methods Rats were administered equianalgesic doses of dexmedetomidine or clonidine continuously, subcutaneously by osmotic minipumps. After 7 days the analgesic response to acutely administered dexmedetomidine or clonidine at median effective analgesic doses was assessed by the tail-flick latency response. The number of alpha 2 adrenoceptors in the spinal cord was diminished in a dose-dependent manner by covalent modification with a noncompetitive receptor blocker, N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline (EEDQ). Recovery of the tail-flick latency response to clonidine and dexmedetomidine was determined and correlated to the recovery of receptor density as assessed by radiolabeled-ligand binding studies. The alpha 2 adrenoceptor population in the locus ceruleus of rats was depleted with EEDQ, and recovery of the hypnotic response (as assessed by the loss of righting reflex) to dexmedetomidine was determined and correlated to the recovery of receptor density. Results After 7 days of chronic treatment with dexmedetomidine, analgesic responses to dexmedetomidine and clonidine remained unaltered. However, chronic treatment with clonidine significantly decreased the analgesic effect of clonidine, whereas the analgesic effect to dexmedetomidine was unaffected. In the EEDQ experiments, the analgesic response to dexmedetomidine was restored to normal when 44% of the alpha 2 adrenoceptors in the spinal cord were available for agonist binding; comparatively more alpha 2 adrenoceptors (77%) were required for the analgesic response to clonidine to be restored. The recovery of the hypnotic response to dexmedetomidine after EEDQ treatment was retarded when compared with the recovery of the analgesic response to that compound. Greater than 77% of alpha 2 adrenoceptors in the locus ceruleus must be available for the hypnotic response to alpha 2 agonists to be expressed. Conclusions Fewer alpha 2 adrenoceptors need to be available for analgesia to be produced by dexmedetomidine compared with the number required for analgesia by clonidine. This difference should result in less tolerance in the analgesic response to dexmedetomidine than to clonidine with chronic use. Dexmedetomidine requires fewer alpha 2 adrenoceptors to elicit an analgesic response than it does to elicit a hypnotic response. Thus the analgesic properties of alpha 2-adrenergic agonists persist after the hypnotic response has been attenuated after chronic alpha 2 agonist administration.

Corticotropin-releasing Factor Mediates the Antinociceptive Action of Nitrous Oxide in Rats

2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 708-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigehito Sawamura ◽  
Mizuki Obara ◽  
Kenji Takeda ◽  
Mervyn Maze ◽  
Kazuo Hanaoka
Keyword(s):  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Antinociceptive Effect ◽  
Locus Ceruleus ◽  
Corticotropin Releasing Factor ◽  
Tail Flick ◽  
Intracerebroventricular Administration ◽  
Noradrenergic Neurons ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Antinociceptive Action ◽  
Fos Expression

Background Exposure to nitrous oxide activates brainstem noradrenergic nuclei and descending inhibitory pathways, which produce the acute antinociceptive action of nitrous oxide. Because corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) can produce activation of noradrenergic neurons in the locus ceruleus, the authors sought to determine whether it might be responsible for the antinociceptive action of nitrous oxide. Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300 g) were exposed for 60 min to room air or 25, 50 or 70% nitrous oxide in oxygen. Brain sections including the hypothalamus were immunostained for both c-Fos (a marker of neuronal activation) and CRF and the percentage of CRF-positive neurons expressing c-Fos was determined. The functional consequences of changes in CRF were investigated by assessing the effect of intracerebroventricular administration of a CRF antagonist (alpha-helical CRF9-41, 20 microg/10 microl) on both activation of locus ceruleus noradrenergic neurons and the antinociception (with the tail-flick latency test) produced by nitrous oxide. Results Inhalation of nitrous oxide induced a dose-dependent increase in c-Fos expression in CRF-positive neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Intracerebroventricular administration of CRF antagonist inhibited nitrous oxide-induced c-Fos expression in the locus ceruleus and the antinociceptive effect of nitrous oxide. Conclusions Nitrous oxide activates the CRF system in the brain, which results in stimulation of noradrenergic neurons in the locus ceruleus and its consequent antinociceptive effect.

Spinal Endogenous Acetylcholine Contributes to the Analgesic Effect of Systemic Morphine in Rats

2001 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 525-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shao-Rui Chen ◽  
Hui-Lin Pan
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Receptor Antagonist ◽  
Analgesic Effect ◽  
Antinociceptive Effect ◽  
Intrathecal Injection ◽  
Radiant Heat ◽  
Cholinergic Receptor ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Withdrawal Latency ◽  
Aziridinium Ion

Background Systemic morphine is known to cause increased release of acetyicholine in the spinal cord. Intrathecal injection of the cholinergic receptor agonists or acetyicholinesterase inhibitors produces antinociception in both animals and humans. In the present study, we explored the functional importance of spinal endogenous acetylcholine in the analgesic action produced by intravenous morphine. Methods Rats were implanted with intravenous and intrathecal catheters. The antinociceptive effect of morphine was determined by the paw-withdrawal latency in response to a radiant heat stimulus after intrathecal treatment with atropine (a muscarinic receptor antagonist), mecamylamine (a nicotinic receptor antagonist), or cholinergic neurotoxins (ethylcholine mustard aziridinium ion [AF64A] and hemicholinium-3). Results Intravenous injection of 2.5 mg/kg morphine increased significantly the paw-withdrawal latency. Intrathecal pretreatment with 30 microg atropine (n = 7) or 50 microg mecamylamine (n = 6) both attenuated significantly the antinociceptive effect of morphine. The inhibitory effect of atropine on the effect of morphine was greater than that of mecamylanilne. Furthermore, the antinociceptive effect of morphine was significantly reduced in rats pretreated with intrathecal AF64A (n = 7) or hemicholinium-3 (n = 6) to inhibit the high-affinity choline transporter and acetylcholine synthesis. We found that intrathecal AF64A reduced significantly the [3H]hemicholinium-3 binding sites but did not affect its affinity in the dorsal spinal cord. Conclusions The data in the current study indicate that spinal endogenous acetylcholine plays an important role in mediating the analgesic effect of systemic morphine through both muscarinic and nicotinic receptors.

5-HT1A Receptors Mediate Analgesia Induced by Emulsified Sevoflurane in Thermal Nociception but Have Little Effect on Chemical Nociception

Pharmacology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 100 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 25-30
Author(s):  
Chen Yan ◽  
Dai Ti-jun ◽  
Li Xin ◽  
Cao Gao ◽  
Jiang Shen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Analgesic Effect ◽  
Intraperitoneal Injection ◽  
Serotonin Receptor ◽  
Intrathecal Injection ◽  
Tail Flick ◽  
Hot Plate Test ◽  
Thermal Nociception ◽  
Tail Flick Latency ◽  
Specific Antagonist ◽  
The Relationship

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the relationship between the analgesic effect of sevoflurane and 5-serotonin receptor 1A (5-HT1A R) in the spinal cords of mice. Methods: Analgesic mouse models were established by intraperitoneal injection of emulsified sevoflurane, and the influence of p-MPPF (a specific antagonist of 5-HT1A Rs) intrathecal injection on the changes in tail-flick latency in tail-withdrawal test, pain threshold in hot-plate test (HPPT), and writhing times in acetic acid-induced writhing test were recorded. Results: Intraperitoneal injection of emulsified sevoflurane alone produced an analgesic effect (p < 0.05). p-MPPF (2, 4, and 8 μg) alone had no impact on tail-flick latency, HPPT, and writhing times in mice (p > 0.05). The 3 doses of p-MPPF reduced the tail-flick latency or HPPT. p-MPPF 8 μg can increase the writhing times (p < 0.05) in analgesic mice with sevoflurane, while p-MPPF 2 and 4 μg did not affect the writhing times. Conclusion: 5-HT1A Rs in the spinal cord may be an important target for the analgesic effect of sevoflurane on the thermal nociception, but it has little relation to the anti-chemical chemical nociceptive effect of sevoflurane.

Low Concentrations of Halothane Increase Response to a Noxious Thermal Stimulus and Attenuate the Antinociceptive Effect of Intraventricular but Not Intrathecal Morphine

2001 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 298-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Drasner
Keyword(s):  
Pain Perception ◽  
Intrathecal Morphine ◽  
Antinociceptive Effect ◽  
Maximum Effect ◽  
Tail Flick ◽  
Temperature Threshold ◽  
Thermal Stimulus ◽  
Descending Inhibition ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Tail Flick Latency

Background Classically, the first plane of anesthesia is known as the stage of analgesia. Nonetheless, clinical evidence suggests that low doses of inhaled agents might enhance pain perception. The present experiments test the hypothesis that low concentrations of halothane increase response to a noxious thermal stimulus and attenuate the antinociceptive effect of intraventricular morphine via disruption of descending inhibition. Methods In the first experiment, the temperature at which rats withdraw their tails from a heat source was measured in animals breathing various concentrations of halothane. In the second experiment, the effect of intraventricular or intrathecal morphine on tail-flick latency was assessed in rats breathing either oxygen or 0.23% halothane. Results Low concentrations of halothane decreased the temperature threshold for tail-flick with a maximum effect at 0.06% atmospheres. Halothane attenuated the antinociceptive potency of intraventricular morphine but enhanced the efficacy of intrathecal morphine. Conclusions Subanesthetic concentrations of halothane may enhance response to a noxious stimulus. The differential effect on intraventricular and intrathecal morphine suggests that this enhancement results from disruption of descending inhibition.

Antinociceptive effects of intrathecally administered human β-endorphin in the rat and cat

1978 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 754-759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony L. Yaksh ◽  
James L. Henry
Keyword(s):  
Subarachnoid Space ◽  
Antinociceptive Effect ◽  
Intrathecal Injection ◽  
Opiate Receptor ◽  
Tail Flick ◽  
Dose Ratio ◽  
Response Curves ◽  
Indwelling Catheter ◽  
Spinal Subarachnoid Space

Rats chronically implanted with intrathecal catheters displayed a dose-dependent increase in the hot-plate and tail-flick response latencies following the injection of human β-endorphin into the lumbar spinal subarachnoid space through the indwelling catheter. β-Endorphin was approximately 25 times more potent than morphine on a molar basis. Matching morphine and β-endorphin doses such that approximately equal submaximal effects occurred, it was observed that the antinociception produced by β-endorphin lasted approximately three times longer than that produced by morphine. Experiments with intrathecal injection of β-endorphin into the spinal subarachnoid space of cats fitted with intrathecal catheters also revealed a potent antinociceptive effect which was completely antagonized by naloxone. In the rats, naloxone administered systemically in doses of 10–100 μg/kg produced a parallel shift in the dose–response curves of both nociceptive measures suggesting a competitive antagonism. Using a dose ratio analysis, an in vivo pA2 of 7.1 for naloxone was obtained. These data and those derived from previous work based on the pA2 suggest that the interaction of morphine, certain pentapeptides, and β-endorphin is the same with regard to the spinal opiate receptor population mediating behavioraily defined analgesia.

Nitrous Oxide Produces Antinociceptive Response via α2Band/or α2CAdrenoceptor Subtypes in Mice 

1999 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 470-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tian-Zhi Guo ◽  
Frances M. Davies ◽  
Wade S. Kingery ◽  
Andrew J. Patterson ◽  
Lee E. Limbird ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Transgenic Mice ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Antinociceptive Effect ◽  
Opiate Receptors ◽  
Opiate Receptor ◽  
Tail Flick ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Tail Flick Latency ◽  
In The Wild

Background Opiate receptors in the periaqueductal gray region and alpha2 adrenoceptors in the spinal cord of the rat mediate the antinociceptive properties of nitrous oxide (N2O). The availability of genetically altered mice facilitates the detection of the precise protein species involved in the transduction pathway. In this study, the authors establish the similarity between rats and mice in the antinociceptive action of N2O and investigate which alpha2 adrenoceptor subtypes mediate this response. Methods After obtaining institutional approval, antinociceptive dose-response and time-course to N2O was measured in wild-type and transgenic mice (D79N), with a nonfunctional alpha2A adrenoceptor using tail-flick latency. The antinociceptive effect of N2O was tested after pretreatment systemically with yohimbine (nonselective alpha2 antagonist), naloxone (opiate antagonist), L659,066 (peripheral alpha2-antagonist) and prazosin (alpha2B- and alpha2C-selective antagonist). The tail-flick latency to dexmedetomidine (D-med), a nonselective alpha2 agonist, was tested in wild-type and transgenic mice. Results N2O produced antinociception in both D79N transgenic and wild-type litter mates, although the response was less pronounced in the transgenic mice. Antinociception from N2O decreased over time with continuing exposure, and the decrement was more pronounced in the transgenic mice. The antinociceptive response could be dose dependently antagonized by opiate receptor and selective alpha2B-/alpha2C-receptor antagonists but not by a central nervous system-impermeant alpha2 antagonist (L659,066). Whereas dexmedetomidine exhibited no antinociceptive response in the D79N mice, the robust antinociceptive response in the wild-type litter mates could not be blocked by a selective alpha2B-/alpha2C-receptor antagonist. Conclusion These data confirm that the antinociceptive response to an exogenous alpha2-agonist is mediated by an alpha2A adrenoceptor and that there appears to be a role for the alpha2B- or alpha2C-adrenoceptor subtypes, or both, in the analgesic response to N2O.

scholarly journals Modulation of Morphine-induced Antinociception in Acute and Chronic Opioid Treatment by Ibudilast

2009 ◽  
Vol 111 (6) ◽  
pp. 1356-1364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuomas O. Lilius ◽  
Pekka V. Rauhala ◽  
Oleg Kambur ◽  
Eija A. Kalso
Keyword(s):  
Cell Activation ◽  
Antinociceptive Effect ◽  
Opioid Analgesics ◽  
Morphine Tolerance ◽  
Tail Flick ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Tail Flick Test ◽  
Glial Cell Activation ◽  
Sprague Dawley Rats ◽  
Antinociceptive Effects

Background Opioid analgesics are effective in relieving chronic pain, but they have serious adverse effects, including development of tolerance and dependence. Ibudilast, an inhibitor of glial activation and cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases, has shown potential in the treatment of neuropathic pain and opioid withdrawal. Because glial cell activation could also be involved in the development of opioid tolerance in rats, the authors studied the antinociceptive effects of ibudilast and morphine in different models of coadministration. Methods Antinociception was assessed using male Sprague- Dawley rats in hot plate and tail-flick tests. The effects of ibudilast on acute morphine-induced antinociception, induction of morphine tolerance, and established morphine tolerance were studied. Results Systemic ibudilast produced modest dose-related antinociception and decreased locomotor activity at the studied doses of 2.5-22.5 mg/kg. The highest tested dose of 22.5 mg/kg produced 52% of the maximum possible effect in the tail-flick test. It had an additive antinociceptive effect when combined with systemic morphine. Coadministration of ibudilast with morphine did not attenuate the development of morphine tolerance. However, in morphine-tolerant rats, ibudilast partly restored morphine-induced antinociception. Conclusions Ibudilast produces modest antinociception, and it is effective in restoring but not in preventing morphine tolerance. The mechanisms of the effects of ibudilast should be better understood before it is considered for clinical use.

Antiallodynic Effect of Intrathecal Gabapentin and Its Interaction with Clonidine in a Rat Model of Postoperative Pain

2000 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 1126-1131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jen-Kun Cheng ◽  
Hui-Lin Pan ◽  
James C. Eisenach
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Postoperative Pain ◽  
Rat Model ◽  
Mechanical Allodynia ◽  
Intrathecal Injection ◽  
Amino Acid Transporter ◽  
Amino Acid Transporters ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Acid Transporter ◽  
Sites Of Action

Background Systemic administration of gabapentin was shown previously to attenuate mechanical allodynia in a rat model of postoperative pain. Because intrathecal administration of gabapentin is effective in other hypersensitivity states, the authors tested its effect in the postoperative model, its interaction with another antiallodynic agent (clonidine), and a possible mechanism of gabapentin action (entry into sites of action via an L-amino acid transporter). Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized with halothane, and an incision of the plantaris muscle of right hind paw induced punctate mechanical allodynia. Withdrawal threshold to von Frey filament application near the incision site was determined before and 2 h after surgery. Then, an intrathecal injection was performed and thresholds were determined every 30 min for 3 h thereafter. Results Paw incision induced a mechanical hypersensitivity (mechanical threshold &gt; 25 g before incision and &lt; 5 g after). Intrathecal gabapentin dose-dependently (10-100 microg) reduced mechanical allodynia. Intrathecal injection of an inhibitor of L-amino acid transporters or a competitor for this transporter, L-leucine, did not reverse the intrathecal effect of gabapentin. The ED50 of intrathecal gabapentin, clonidine, and their combination were 51, 31, and 9 microg, respectively, and isobolographic analysis showed synergy between gabapentin and clonidine. Conclusions Intrathecal gabapentin is effective against tactile allodynia that occurs after paw incision, and interacts synergistically with clonidine. Unlike results in vitro, gabapentin does not obligatorily need to enter cells via the L-amino acid transporter mechanism to achieve its effects in vivo.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document