Role of the injury discharge in the development of thermal hyperesthesia after sciatic nerve constriction injury in the rat.

BACKGROUND

Usually, a barrage of impulses ("injury discharge") is evoked following sensory nerve damage. It has been suggested that injury discharge may produce the hyperexcitatory state in the spinal cord, and this hyperexcitability may cause neurogenic pain. In the present study, the authors examined the role of injury discharge in developing the hyperesthetic state following nerve constriction injury.

METHODS

A model of thermal hyperesthesia caused by a constriction injury created by making four loose ligations around the rat sciatic nerve was examined. To block the injury discharge, 0.5% bupivacaine was applied to the sciatic nerve before constriction injury. To block the hyperexcitatory state, (+)-MK-801, an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist, was administered intrathecally 15 min before the nerve lesion.

RESULTS

Blocking injury discharge significantly delayed the development of hyperesthesia. Bupivacaine had no effect on the development of hyperesthesia when bupivacaine was applied to the sciatic nerve 15 min after the nerve constriction injury. Systemic bupivacaine had no effect on the development of thermal hyperesthesia. Intrathecal (+)-MK-801 also delayed the development of hyperesthesia when (+)-MK-801 was administered intrathecally 15 min before the nerve injury. When (+)-MK-801 was administered 15 min after the nerve injury, (+)-MK-801 had no effect on the development of hyperesthesia.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that injury discharge may induce facilitation of spinal dorsal horn neurons, and this spinal facilitation may play an important role in developing thermal hyperesthesia following sciatic nerve constriction injury.