Bulleyaconitine A depresses neuropathic pain and potentiation at C-fiber synapses in spinal dorsal horn induced by paclitaxel in rats.

Bulleyaconitine A depresses neuropathic pain and potentiation at C-fiber synapses in spinal dorsal horn induced by paclitaxel in rats. Exp Neurol. 2015 Sep 12; Authors: Zhu HQ, Xu J, Shen KF, Pang RP, Wei XH, Liu XG Abstract Paclitaxel, a widely used chemotherapeutic agent, often induces painful peripheral neuropathy and at present no effective drug is available for treatment of the serious side effect. Here, we tested if intragastrical application of bulleyaconitine A (BLA), which has been approved for clinical treatment of chronic pain in China since 1985, could relieve the paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain. A single dose of BLA attenuated the mechanical allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia induced by paclitaxel dose-dependently. Repetitive administration of the drug (0.4 and 0.8mg/kg, t.i.d. for 7 d) during or after paclitaxel treatment produced a long-lasting inhibitory effect on thermal hyperalgesia, but not on mechanical allodynia. In consistence with the behavioral results, in vivo electrophysiological experiments revealed that spinal synaptic transmission mediated by C-fiber but not A fiber was potentiated, and the magnitude of long-term potentiation (LTP) at C-fiber synapses induced by the same high frequency stimulation was ~50% higher in paclitaxel-treated rats, compared to the naïve rats. Spinal or intravenous application of BLA depressed the spinal LTP, dose-dependently. Furthermore, patch clamp recordings in spinal cord s...
Source: Experimental Neurology - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Exp Neurol Source Type: research