Analgesic effects of fibroblast growth factor in the rat.
Intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) to Sprague-Dawley rats induced short-lasting analgesia as measured by tail-flick latency (TFL) test. The maximum effect, a 26% increase in tail-flick latency, was obtained 15 min following 1 microgram i.p. aFGF. By 30 min the effect was considerably reduced, and was no longer present by 45 min after treatment. Administration of heat-inactivated aFGF or a hybrid form of aFGF (CLYT/aFGF) that, although active, is unable to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), caused no analgesia. Furthermore, the analgesic effects of aFGF were prevented by pretreatment with the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, L-NG-nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Our findings demonstrate an analgesic effect of FGF, which requires crossing of BBB and implicates the nitric oxide pathway.
Cuevas
P
P
Department of Research, Ramón y Cajal Hospital, Madrid, Spain.
Prieto
R
R
Saenz de Tejada
I
I
Giménez-Gallego
G
G
D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D016220:Fibroblast Growth Factor 1 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors
D000700:Analgesics; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D016220:Fibroblast Growth Factor 1; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester