Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Characteristics of Pain Changes in Rats with Nerve Injury Within 24 hours After One-Time Tuina Intervention
Published on: January 26, 2024
Mustard oil enhances spinal neuronal responses to noxious heat but not cooling
Carolyn M Sawyer1, Mirela Iodi Carstens, E Carstens
1Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Abstract:
The TRPA1 agonist mustard oil (allyl isothiocyanate=AITC) induces heat hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia in human skin and sensitizes rat spinal wide dynamic range (WDR) neuronal responses to noxious skin heating. We presently used electrophysiological methods to investigate if AITC affects the responsiveness of individual spinal WDR neurons to intense skin cooling. Recordings were made from cold-sensitive WDR neurons in lamina I and deeper dorsal horn; 21/23 also responded to noxious skin heating. Topical application of AITC excited 8/18 units and significantly enhanced their responses to noxious heat while not significantly affecting responses to the cold stimulus. Vehicle (mineral oil) had no effect on thermal responses. The data confirm a role for the TRPA1 agonist AITC in enhancing heat nociception without significantly affecting cold sensitivity.
Related Concept Videos
Thermosensation
Local Anesthetics: Differential Sensitivity of Nerve Fibers
Nociception

