Abstract
Purpose: To determine the mechanism involved in pregabalin-induced alleviation of postherpetic neuralgia in a rat model.Methods: Ninety-sixty healthy Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were assigned to sham, model andpregabalin groups (32 rats per group). A model of postherpetic neuralgia (PN) was established. The expressions of IL-1β and TNF-α in spinal cord tissue were determined 7 days after administration of treatments. The proportions of fluorescence areas in astrocytes in the dorsal horn, prefrontal lobe and hippocampus, and level of spinal cord TRPV1 channel protein in each group were evaluated.Results: Relative to model rats, IL-1β and TNF-α in spinal cord of pregabalin rats were significantly reduced (p < 0.05). The areas of fluorescence in astrocytes in dorsal horn of spinal cord, prefrontal lobe and hippocampus of model group were significantly increased, relative to sham, but were decreased in rats in pregabalin group (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Pregabalin significantly alleviates postherpetic neuralgia via mechanisms which may be related to the inflammatory response of spinal dorsal horn and downregulation of TRPV1 channel protein expression. This finding may be useful in developing new drugs for alleviating postherpetic neuralgia.
Highlights
Herpes zoster is an acute skin disease caused by herpes zoster virus
The rats were assigned to sham, postherpetic neuralgia (PN) model and pregabalin groups (n = 32 each)
Immunohistochemistry, the spinal cord tissues were processed into paraffin sections which were dehydrated and dewaxed
Summary
Herpes zoster is an acute skin disease caused by herpes zoster virus. Herpes zoster neuralgia is the most common complication of herpes zoster, and it manifests as a burning, tearing or knife-cut pain which results in difficulty in eating, decline in quality of life decline, and anxiety or depression [1]. The pathogenesis of postherpetic neuralgia is still not clearly understood. Based on the pathological changes it induces in the nervous system, the disease is thought to be a type of neuropathic pain. It is of great significance to study the pathogenesis of the disease and provide relevant scientific evidence for its therapy. Studies have found that the outcome of treatment for herpes zoster is closely
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