Chronic pain in the rat: selective alterations in CNS and pituitary pools of dynorphin as compared to vasopressin.
Inoculation of rats at the tail-base with Mycobacterium led to arthritic swelling and inflammation of all four limbs. Immunoreactive (ir)-dynorphin (DYN) increased in anterior but not neurointermediate pituitary. In the brain, only thalamus showed a rise and, in spinal cord, a large elevation was seen. Ir-vasopressin (VP) was not affected in these tissues but increased in midbrain. These effects might reflect a role of DYN in the control of chronic pain. In addition, they support a differential modulation of DYN as compared to VP extrinsic to the hypothalamic-neurohypophyseal axis.
Millan
M J
MJ
Millan
M H
MH
Pilcher
C W
CW
Colpaert
F C
FC
Herz
A
A
D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000032:analysis*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004399:Dynorphins / Q000032:analysis*; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000032:analysis; D010146:Pain / Q000378:metabolism*; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000032:analysis*; D051381:Rats; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000032:analysis; D013788:Thalamus / Q000032:analysis; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000032:analysis*
D014667:Vasopressins; D004399:Dynorphins