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Pregabalin modulation of spinal and brainstem visceral nociceptive processing
Shafaq Sikandar1, Anthony H Dickenson
1Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Pain
|July 23, 2011
Summary
Pregabalin (PGB) effectively reduced visceral pain responses in rats, challenging its known state-dependent effects. This suggests PGB may offer broader pain relief than previously understood for visceral pain mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pain Research
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Visceral nociception involves complex brainstem and spinal cord mechanisms.
- The drug pregabalin (PGB) is typically associated with state-dependent pain relief, primarily for neuropathic pain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of PGB on acute visceral pain.
- To explore the state-dependent actions of PGB in visceral pain models.
- To compare brainstem and spinal cord processing of visceral versus somatic stimuli.
Main Methods:
- Electrophysiology and immunohistochemistry in rat models.
- Induction of acute visceral pain using colorectal distension (CRD) and mustard oil (MO).
- Assessment of visceromotor responses (VMR) and Fos protein expression in the spinal cord and brainstem.
Main Results:
- Systemic PGB demonstrated antinociceptive effects on CRD-evoked VMRs in both normal and hyperalgesic rats.
- PGB reduced Fos labeling in the spinal cord but not the brainstem.
- Brainstem (rostral ventromedial medulla) processing of visceral stimuli differed from somatic stimuli and was modulated by PGB.
Conclusions:
- PGB exhibits efficacy in acute visceral pain, diverging from its typical state-dependent profile.
- Differential processing in the brainstem may explain the lack of state-dependency for PGB in visceral pain.
- Descending brainstem pathways play a common role in modulating visceral and somatic pain.
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