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Updated: Apr 15, 2026

The Sciatic Nerve Cuffing Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice
Published on: July 16, 2014
Notch signaling activation is critical to the development of neuropathic pain
Keliang Xie1, Feng Qiao2, Yanyan Sun3
1Department of Anesthesiology, Tianjin Institute of Anesthesiology, General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300052 China.
Background:
Nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain is a major health problem worldwide. Notch signaling is a highly conserved pathway in evolution, which has an important role in synaptic plasticity and inflammation in central nervous system. The present study was designed to investigate the potential role of notch signaling in the development of neuropathic pain.
Methods:
The neuropathic pain was induced by spared nerve injury (SNI) in rats. The activation of notch signaling in the lumbar spinal dorsal horn was measured. DAPT, an inhibitor of notch signaling, was intrathecally (i.t.) administered before SNI or after appearance of pain sensitivity. Moreover, Jagged-1 (JAG-1) peptide, a ligand of notch signaling, was i.t. administered to normal rats. The mechanical allodynia was assessed by von Frey test.
Results:
Here, we found that DAPT administered 0.5 h before SNI operation could significantly prevent the decrease of mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) for more than 4 weeks (P < 0.05 vs. SNI group). DAPT administered after appearance of pain sensitivity could also significantly reverse the decrease of mechanical PWT in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05). In addition, administration of Jagged-1 (JAG-1) peptide significantly decreased the mechanical PWT of normal rats in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
Therefore, notch signaling activation might contribute to the development of neuropathic pain. This study might provide a new therapeutic target for neuropathic pain.
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