[Effect of clofelin and propranolol on the development of neurogenic pain syndrome in rats].

After cutting the sciatic nerve in rats, clofelin and propranolol were tested for effects on the development of the pain syndrome. It was found that in rats receiving neither clofelin nor propranolol, the cutting of the sciatic nerve resulted in hyperalgesia, autotomies, increased amplitude of evoked potentials in the contralateral somatosensory cortex during tissue stimulation of the paw with the nerve cut, as well as in impaired microcirculation and venular permeability in mesenteric vessels. A daily administration of clofelin or propranolol to the animals starting on the first day after nerve cutting was demonstrated to prevent disorders existing in control animals. The mechanisms of action of clofelin and propranolol which prevent the pain syndrome in the animals after the cutting of the sciatic nerve are discussed.