Li Xinhe, Ye Yinshuang, Wang Lin, Zhou Wenwen, Chu Xiao, Li Tieshan
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.
Department of Pharmacy of Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.
Toxicon. 2022 Jun;212:42-48. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2022.04.005. Epub 2022 Apr 11.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause to lead to chronic pain. Sensitization of pain pathways including central sensitization and peripheral sensitization has been regarded as a major cause of OA pain refractory to treatment. Addressing peripheral sensitization or central sensitization alone may not adequately treat OA pain. In our previous studies, botulinum toxin type A (BoNT/A) has been shown to reduce peripheral sensitization for analgesic effects. In addition, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has also been suggested to reduce central sensitization for analgesia. The present study was designed to investigate whether BoNT/A in combination with tDCS has better analgesic effects than isolated treatment to alleviate OA-induced chronic pain in rats. The Von Frey and hot plate tests were applied to assess the pain-related behaviors at different time points. The expression level of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-2B (NMDAR2B) was evaluated in midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) by Western blot the Immunohistochemistry staining after different treatments. The results showed that the combined treatment of BoNT/A and tDCS better improved the pain-related behaviors and significantly increased the expression level of NMDAR2B protein in PAG than each isolated treatment. These results suggested that the combined treatments for relief of chronic pain were more obvious than each isolated treatment. The combination of BoNT/A and tDCS may relieve pain by increasing N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the PAG, and then the descending inhibitory systems were activated to modulate peripheral and central sensitization.
骨关节炎(OA)是导致慢性疼痛的最常见原因。包括中枢敏化和外周敏化在内的疼痛通路敏化被认为是OA疼痛难治的主要原因。单独解决外周敏化或中枢敏化可能无法充分治疗OA疼痛。在我们之前的研究中,A型肉毒杆菌毒素(BoNT/A)已被证明可减轻外周敏化以产生镇痛作用。此外,经颅直流电刺激(tDCS)也被认为可减轻中枢敏化以达到镇痛效果。本研究旨在调查BoNT/A与tDCS联合使用是否比单独治疗具有更好的镇痛效果,以减轻大鼠OA诱导的慢性疼痛。采用von Frey和热板试验在不同时间点评估疼痛相关行为。通过蛋白质免疫印迹法和免疫组织化学染色评估不同处理后中脑导水管周围灰质(PAG)中N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体2B(NMDAR2B)的表达水平。结果表明,与单独治疗相比,BoNT/A和tDCS联合治疗能更好地改善疼痛相关行为,并显著提高PAG中NMDAR2B蛋白的表达水平。这些结果表明,联合治疗缓解慢性疼痛比单独治疗更明显。BoNT/A和tDCS联合使用可能通过增加PAG中的N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸(NMDA)受体来缓解疼痛,进而激活下行抑制系统来调节外周和中枢敏化。