Korean J Obstet Gynecol.  2001 May;44(5):904-910.

Alterations in substance P and CGRP immunoreactivities in the uterus following the induction of inflammation in the rats

• Na JY
• Chang KH
• You SW
• Hong SC
• Lee SE
• Han HC

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
Recently some reports suggested substance P and CGRP might be important factors for inflammation and hyperalgesia. This study was performed to see whether substance P or CGRP containing nerve fibers might be changed by mustard oil-induced inflammation.
METHODS
After injection of mustard oil(5%) into uterine lumen, the uteri were removed and examined with immunohistochemical methods for substance P and CGRP.
RESULTS
In the normal uterus, most of the substance P- or CGRP-immunoreactive nerve fibers were observed along the vascular structure and some in the myometrium, only few in the endometrium. Mustard oil did not changed this pattern of nerve fiber distribution but after 48 hrs, the amount of substance P or CGRP immunoreactive nerve fibers were greatly reduced compared with the normal uterus. It is not clear whether the decrease of substance P and CGRP immunoreactive fibers in the uterus was resulted from the depletion of the neuropeptides in the nerve fibers or the retraction of nerve fibers.
CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the inflammation should cause the change of nerve fibers included in the nociception. This change may attribute the generation of inflammation and inflammatory hyperalgesia.

Keyword

Substance P; CGRP; inflammation; nerve fiber

MeSH Terms

Animals
Endometrium
Female
Hyperalgesia
Inflammation*
Mice
Mustard Plant
Myometrium
Nerve Fibers
Neuropeptides
Nociception
Rats*
Substance P*
Uterus*
Neuropeptides
Substance P