Department of Pain, The First Affiliated Hospital to China Medical University, Shen Yang, China.
Department of Pain, The First Affiliated Hospital to China Medical University, Shen Yang, China.
Eur J Pharmacol. 2021 Dec 5;912:174575. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2021.174575. Epub 2021 Oct 18.
Neuropathic pain is a complex condition that usually lasts a lifetime and has a major negative impact on life after injury. Improving pain management is an important and unmet need. Astaxanthin (AST) is a natural marine medicine with effective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and neuroprotective effects. However, few mechanisms can explain the role of AST in the treatment of neuropathic pain. In the present study, we examined its potential to eliminate spinal nerve ligation (SNL) damage by inhibiting the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2, phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 and the inflammatory response. The results of behavior tests indicated the promising role of AST in analgesic effect in SNL mice. AST decreased the neuronal and non-neuronal activation, the levels of the inflammatory signaling mediators (p-ERK1/2 p-p38 MAPK and NF-κB p65) and inflammatory cytokine expression (interleukin [IL]-1, IL-17, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α]. These results suggest that AST is a promising candidate to reduce nociceptive hypersensitization after SNL.
神经病理性疼痛是一种复杂的病症，通常会持续一生，并对受伤后的生活产生重大负面影响。改善疼痛管理是一项重要且未满足的需求。虾青素（AST）是一种天然海洋药物，具有有效的抗氧化和抗炎特性以及神经保护作用。然而，很少有机制可以解释 AST 在治疗神经病理性疼痛中的作用。在本研究中，我们通过抑制细胞外信号调节激酶（ERK）1/2 的磷酸化、丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（p38 MAPK）的磷酸化、核因子-κB（NF-κB）p65 和炎症反应，研究了其消除脊神经结扎（SNL）损伤的潜力。行为测试的结果表明 AST 在 SNL 小鼠中的镇痛作用具有很大的潜力。AST 降低了神经元和非神经元的激活、炎症信号转导介质（p-ERK1/2、p-p38 MAPK 和 NF-κB p65）的水平以及炎症细胞因子的表达（白细胞介素 [IL]-1、IL-17、IL-6 和肿瘤坏死因子-α [TNF-α]）。这些结果表明，AST 是减少 SNL 后伤害感受过敏的有前途的候选药物。
