Liu Cai-Yue, Li Na, Zhao Yun-Fu, Ma Bei
Department of Physiology, the Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
Sheng Li Xue Bao. 2010 Oct 25;62(5):441-9.
Trigeminal neuralgia is a paroxysmal disorder with severely disabling facial pain and thus continues to be a real therapeutic challenge. At present there are few effective drugs for treatment of this pain. The present study was aimed to explore the involvement of BK(Ca) channels and Kv channels in the mechanical allodynia in a rat model of trigeminal neuropathic pain. Here the effectiveness of drug target injection at the trigeminal ganglion through the infraorbital foramen was first evaluated by immunofluorescence and animal behavior test. Trigeminal neuropathic pain model was established by chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve (ION-CCI) in rats. BK(Ca) channel agonist and Kv channel antagonist were administered into the trigeminal ganglion in ION-CCI rats and sham rats by the above target injection method, and the facial mechanical pain threshold was measured. The results showed that the drug could accurately reach the trigeminal ganglion by target injection which was more effective than that by the normal injection around infraorbital foramen. Rats suffered significant mechanical allodynia in the whisker pad of the operated side from 6 d to 42 d after ION-CCI. BK(Ca) channel agonist NS1619 significantly and dose-dependently attenuated the facial mechanical allodynia and increased the facial mechanical pain threshold in ION-CCI rats 15 d after operation. Kv antagonist 4-AP was able to reduce the threshold in ION-CCI rats when facial mechanical threshold was partly recovered and relatively stable on the 35th day after operation. These results suggest that BK(Ca) channel agonist NS1619 and Kv channel antagonist 4-AP can significantly affect the rats' facial mechanical pain threshold after ION-CCI. Activation of BK(Ca) channels may be related to the depression of the primary afferent neurons in trigeminal neuropathic pain pathways. Activation of Kv channels may exert a tonic inhibition on the trigeminal neuropathic pain.
三叉神经痛是一种发作性疾病,伴有严重致残的面部疼痛,因此仍然是一个真正的治疗挑战。目前,治疗这种疼痛的有效药物很少。本研究旨在探讨大电导钙激活钾(BK(Ca))通道和电压门控钾(Kv)通道在三叉神经病理性疼痛大鼠模型机械性异常性疼痛中的作用。在此,首先通过免疫荧光和动物行为测试评估经眶下孔在三叉神经节进行药物靶点注射的有效性。通过对大鼠眶下神经进行慢性压迫损伤(ION-CCI)建立三叉神经病理性疼痛模型。采用上述靶点注射方法,将BK(Ca)通道激动剂和Kv通道拮抗剂分别注入ION-CCI大鼠和假手术大鼠的三叉神经节,并测量面部机械性疼痛阈值。结果表明,靶点注射药物能准确到达三叉神经节,比在眶下孔周围正常注射更有效。ION-CCI术后6天至42天,手术侧触须垫的大鼠出现明显的机械性异常性疼痛。术后15天,BK(Ca)通道激动剂NS1619能显著且剂量依赖性地减轻ION-CCI大鼠的面部机械性异常性疼痛,并提高面部机械性疼痛阈值。在术后第35天,当面部机械阈值部分恢复且相对稳定时,Kv拮抗剂4-氨基吡啶(4-AP)能够降低ION-CCI大鼠的阈值。这些结果表明,BK(Ca)通道激动剂NS1619和Kv通道拮抗剂4-AP可显著影响ION-CCI大鼠术后的面部机械性疼痛阈值。BK(Ca)通道的激活可能与三叉神经病理性疼痛通路中初级传入神经元的抑制有关。Kv通道的激活可能对三叉神经病理性疼痛发挥持续性抑制作用。