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The Journal of Neuroscience, April 1, 2003, 23(7):2911
Resiniferatoxin Induces Paradoxical Changes in Thermal and
Mechanical Sensitivities in Rats: Mechanism of Action
Hui-Lin
Pan1, 2,
Ghous M.
Khan1,
Kevin D.
Alloway2, and
Shao-Rui
Chen1
Departments of 1 Anesthesiology and
2 Neuroscience and Anatomy, The Pennsylvania State
University College of Medicine, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center,
Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033-0850
Resiniferatoxin (RTX), an ultrapotent analog of capsaicin, has been
used as a tool to study the role of capsaicin-sensitive C fibers in
pain. Recently, we found that RTX diminished the thermal sensitivity
but unexpectedly increased the sensitivity to tactile stimulation in
adult rats. In this study, we explored the potential mechanisms
involved in RTX-induced changes in somatosensory function. An
intraperitoneal injection of 200 µg/kg RTX, but not its
vehicle, rapidly produced an increase in the paw withdrawal latency to a heat stimulus. Also, profound tactile allodynia developed in all the
RTX-treated rats in 3 weeks. This paradoxical change in thermal and
mechanical sensitivities lasted for at least 6 weeks. Electron
microscopic examination of the sciatic nerve revealed a loss of
unmyelinated fibers and extensive ultrastructural damage of myelinated
fibers in RTX-treated rats. Immunofluorescence labeling showed a
diminished vanilloid receptor 1 immunoreactivity in dorsal root
ganglia neurons and the spinal dorsal horn of RTX-treated rats.
Furthermore, two transganglionic tracers, horseradish peroxidase conjugates of cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) and
isolectin-B4 of Bandeiraea simplicifolia
(IB4), were injected into the opposite sides of the
sciatic nerve to trace myelinated and unmyelinated afferent
terminations, respectively, in the spinal dorsal horn. In RTX-treated
rats, IB4-labeled terminals in the dorsal horn were
significantly reduced, and CTB-labeled terminals appeared to sprout
into lamina II of the spinal dorsal horn. Thus, this study demonstrates
that systemic RTX diminishes the thermal pain sensitivity by depletion
of unmyelinated afferent neurons. The delayed tactile allodynia induced
by RTX is likely attributable to damage to myelinated afferent fibers
and their abnormal sprouting in lamina II of the spinal dorsal horn.
These data provide new insights into the potential mechanisms of
postherpetic neuralgia.
Key words:
neuropathic pain; postherpetic neuralgia; capsaicin; VR1 receptor; TRPV channel; spinal cord dorsal horn; axonal
sprouting
Copyright © 2003 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/03/2372911-09$05.00/0
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