Futuristic Environmental Simulation Center, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
Neurosci Lett. 2011 Oct 3;503(2):152-6. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2011.08.030. Epub 2011 Aug 24.
Several clinical studies have demonstrated a consistent relationship between changes in meteorological factors, particularly barometric pressure, and pain intensity in subjects with chronic pain. We have previously demonstrated that exposure to artificially low barometric pressure (LP) intensifies pain-related behaviors in rats with neuropathic pain. In the present study, guinea pigs with unilateral L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) were placed in a pressure-controlled chamber and subjected to LP of 10 or 27hPa below the ambient pressure. The SNL surgery led to increased hindpaw withdrawal frequencies to 34-, 59-, and 239-mN von Frey filaments (VFFs). When the SNL animals were subjected to both LP exposures consecutively, the hindpaw withdrawal frequencies further increased; the effect was most significant when the animals were exposed to LP 27hPa below ambient pressure. In contrast, no change was seen in a group of sham-operated control animals. These results indicate that fluctuations in LP within the range of natural weather patterns can potentiate neuropathic pain in guinea pigs.
多项临床研究表明，气象因素的变化，尤其是气压变化，与慢性疼痛患者的疼痛强度之间存在一致的关系。我们之前的研究表明，暴露于人为的低气压（LP）会加重患有神经病理性疼痛的大鼠的疼痛相关行为。在本研究中，单侧 L5 脊神经结扎（SNL）的豚鼠被置于压力控制室内，并暴露于比环境气压低 10 或 27 毫巴的 LP 下。SNL 手术后，后爪对 34、59 和 239-mN 的 von Frey 纤维（VFF）的撤回频率增加。当 SNL 动物连续暴露于两种 LP 时，后爪撤回频率进一步增加；当动物暴露于比环境气压低 27 毫巴的 LP 时，效果最为显著。相比之下，在一组假手术对照组动物中没有观察到变化。这些结果表明，自然天气模式范围内的 LP 波动可能会加剧豚鼠的神经病理性疼痛。
