Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Research Center, Jiaxing University Affiliated Hospital, The First Hospital of Jiaxing, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China.
Anesthesia Medicine, Jiaxing University Master Degree Cultivation Base, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Eur J Pharmacol. 2024 May 5;970:176480. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2024.176480. Epub 2024 Mar 13.
The management and therapy of bone cancer pain (BCP) remain formidable clinical challenges. Curcumin and its analogues have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. In the present study, we investigated the efficacy of curcumin analogue NL04 (NL04) in modulating inflammation in spinal dorsal horn (SDH), thereby exploring its potential to reduce central sensitization of BCP in a rat model. Differing doses of NL04 and curcumin were administered intrathecally either once (on day 12 of BCP) or over seven consecutive days (from day 6-12 of BCP). Results indicated that the ED50 for NL04 and curcumin ameliorating BCP-induced mechanical hyperalgesia is 49.08 μg/kg and 489.6 μg/kg, respectively. The analgesic effects at various doses of NL04 lasted between 4 and 8 h, with sustained administration over a week maintaining pain relief for 1-4 days, while also ameliorating locomotor gait via gait analysis and reducing depressive and anxiety-like behaviors via open-field and light-dark transition tests. The analgesic effects at various doses of curcumin lasted 4 h, with sustained administration over a week maintaining pain relief for 0-2 days. ELISA, Western blotting, qPCR, and immunofluorescence assays substantiated that intrathecal administration of NL04 on days 6-12 of BCP dose-dependently lowered spinal IL-1β and IL-18 levels and significantly reduced the expression of IKKβ genes and proteins, as well as the downstream cleavage of the trans-Golgi network (TGN). Whole-cell patch-clamp results demonstrated that NL04 inhibits potassium ion efflux in rat primary spinal neurons. Thus, NL04 exhibits significant analgesic effects in a BCP rat model by downregulating IKKβ expression and inhibiting neuronal potassium ion efflux, which, in turn, suppresses the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes and reduces IL-1β production, potentially ameliorating pain management in BCP.
骨癌痛(BCP)的管理和治疗仍然是极具挑战性的临床难题。姜黄素及其类似物已被证明具有抗炎和镇痛作用。在本研究中,我们研究了姜黄素类似物 NL04(NL04)在调节脊髓背角(SDH)炎症中的功效,从而探索其在大鼠模型中减轻 BCP 中枢敏化的潜力。NL04 和姜黄素的不同剂量通过鞘内给药,要么单次给药(在 BCP 的第 12 天),要么连续七天给药(从 BCP 的第 6-12 天)。结果表明,NL04 和姜黄素缓解 BCP 引起的机械性痛觉过敏的 ED50 分别为 49.08μg/kg 和 489.6μg/kg。NL04 不同剂量的镇痛作用持续 4-8 小时,持续给药一周可维持 1-4 天的疼痛缓解,同时通过步态分析改善运动步态,并通过旷场和明暗过渡试验减少抑郁和焦虑样行为。姜黄素不同剂量的镇痛作用持续 4 小时,持续给药一周可维持 0-2 天的疼痛缓解。ELISA、Western blot、qPCR 和免疫荧光检测证实,在 BCP 的第 6-12 天鞘内给予 NL04 剂量依赖性地降低脊髓 IL-1β 和 IL-18 水平,并显著降低 IKKβ 基因和蛋白的表达,以及跨高尔基网络(TGN)的下游切割。全细胞膜片钳结果表明,NL04 抑制大鼠原代脊髓神经元钾离子外流。因此,NL04 通过下调 IKKβ 表达和抑制神经元钾离子外流,在 BCP 大鼠模型中表现出显著的镇痛作用,从而抑制 NLRP3 炎症小体的激活,减少 IL-1β 的产生,可能改善 BCP 的疼痛管理。