title: The role of excitatory amino acid receptors and intracellular messengers in persistent nociception after tissue injury in rats.
abstract: Increased pain sensitivity (hyperalgesia) and persistent nociception following peripheral tissue injury depends both on an increase in the sensitivity of primary afferent nociceptors at the site of injury (peripheral sensitization), and on an increase in the excitability of neurons in the central nervous system (central sensitization). We will review evidence that central sensitization, and the persistent nociception it leads to, are dependent on an action of glutamate and aspartate at excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptors. Additional evidence will be presented implicating a role of various intracellular second messengers that are coupled to EAA receptors (nitric oxide, arachidonic acid, and protein kinase C) to central sensitization and persistent nociception following tissue injury. Finally, we will examine the evidence for a contribution of molecular events, including noxious stimulus-induced expression of immediate-early genes such as c-fos to persistent nociception.
authors.affiliation: Département de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Coderre
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000502:physiology; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000502:physiology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005971:Glutamates / Q000502:physiology*; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000503:physiopathology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000502:physiology; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000502:physiology; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000502:physiology*; D015290:Second Messenger Systems / Q000502:physiology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000503:physiopathology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D005971:Glutamates; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D009498:Neurotoxins; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D002118:Calcium