The effect of gold, an antirheumatic therapy, on substance P levels in rat peripheral nerve.
Intramuscular injections of gold sodium thiomalate in the rat produce a significant depletion of the proinflammatory neuropeptide substance P (SP) from the sciatic nerve. The greatest reduction in SP content occurred during the first two months of treatment. The level of SP in the nerve, however, remained low, throughout an eight month administration of gold. These results, coupled with previous findings that gold produces a selective decrease in the number of unmyelinated axons in peripheral nerve, are consistent with the hypothesis that the anti-inflammatory action of gold involves a neurotoxic effect on peptidergic afferents.
Levine
J D
JD
Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco 94143.
Moskowitz
M A
MA
Basbaum
A I
AI
D000818:Animals; D006052:Gold Sodium Thiomalate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008297:Male; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D013373:Substance P / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
D006052:Gold Sodium Thiomalate; D013373:Substance P