Korean J Anesthesiol.  2009 Mar;56(3):319-324. 10.4097/kjae.2009.56.3.319.

Lidocaine attenuates the expression of ERK1/2 and CREB in a neuropathic pain model of rats

• Joo JD
• In JH
• Jung HS
• Kim YS
• Kim DW
• Choi WY
• Shin EY
• Jeon YS

• KMID: 2238130
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.2009.56.3.319

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In addition to causing the loss of voluntary sensory and motor function, spinal cord injury (SCI) often creates a state of central neuropathic pain. Rats given SCI display increases in the activated form of transcription factors ERK 1/2, p38 MAPK, and CREB in the spinal cord, which correspond to allodynia in a model of neuropathic pain. The current study was designed to determine if lidocaine had an effect on the development of neuropathic pain in response to SCI.
METHODS
Male Sprague Dawley rats were anesthetized and then received a L5-L6 spinal nerve ligation (neuropathic rats). The levels of intracellular cell-signaling protein, ERK 1/2 and CREB were then assessed by western blot analysis of samples collected from a sham operated (control) group, a neuropathic pain and normal saline (NP + NS) group, and a neuropathic pain and 5% lidocaine (NP + Lido) group.
RESULTS
The increased levels of ERK 1/2 and CREB protein that were observed in the neuropathic pain model were reduced by continuous infusion of 5% lidocaine.
CONCLUSIONS
The current results suggest that lidocaine therapy may be an effective method of preventing and treating central neuropathic pain following SCI, and that these effects may occur via the reduced expression of ERK 1/2 and CREB in the intracellular cell-signaling pathway.

Keyword

CREB; ERK 1/2; Intracellular cell-signaling pathway; Lidocaine; Neuropathic pain; Western blots

MeSH Terms

Animals
Blotting, Western
Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein
Humans
Hyperalgesia
Lidocaine
Ligation
Male
Neuralgia
p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Salicylamides
Spinal Cord
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal Nerves
Transcription Factors
Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein
Lidocaine
Salicylamides
Transcription Factors
p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases