Capsaicinoid-induced local and systemic antinociception without substance P depletion

Capsaicin and its analog, dihydrocapsaicin, produced chemogenic and thermal antinociception and depletion of substance P from the dorsal spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia of guinea pigs following a single parenteral dose. Time course and distribution studies indicated that capsaicinoid-induced antinociception resulted from neither depletion of substance P nor nonspecific actions of capsaicinoids at dorsal root ganglia. A site of action for capsaicinoid-induced antinociception is peripheral to the dorsal root ganglia and may involve covalent binding of capsaicinoids to free nerve endings of the dermis. Depletion of substance P by capsaicinoids appears to be mediated at a site more central than that which mediates antinociception and may involve alterations in the retrograde axoplasmic transport of neurotrophic factors.