title: Involvement of spinal protein kinase C in induction and maintenance of both persistent spontaneous flinching reflex and contralateral heat hyperalgesia induced by subcutaneous bee venom in the conscious rat.
abstract: To further study the roles of spinal protein kinase C (PKC) in induction and maintenance of both the persistent spontaneous nociception and the contralateral heat hyperalgesia induced by subcutaneous (s.c.) bee venom injection, the effects of intrathecal (i.t.) treatment with a PKC inhibitor, chelerythrine chloride (CH), were evaluated in conscious rats. Pre-treatment i.t. with CH at three doses of 0.01, 0.1 and 1 nmol produced a dose-dependent suppressive effect on the flinching reflex with the inhibitory rates of 39, 48 and 59%, respectively, when compared with the pre-saline control group. Post-treatment i.t. with the drug at the highest dose used (1 nmol) also resulted in a 42% suppression of the flinching reflex compared with the control. Moreover, pre-treatment i.t. with CH at three doses of 0.01, 0.1 and 1 nmol also produced 12, 22 and 48% inhibition of the contralateral heat hyperalgesia in the pre-saline control group. Post-treatment i.t. with the drug at the highest dose used (1 nmol) also resulted in a 35% reversal effect on the established contralateral heat hyperalgesia. The present result suggests that activation of PKC in the spinal cord contributes to the induction and maintenance of both peripherally-dependent persistent spontaneous pain and contralateral heat hyperalgesia which is dependent upon central sensitization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, The Fourth Military Medical University, 17 West Chang-le Road, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001514:Bee Venoms / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000201:enzymology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008297:Male; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000502:physiology; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D001514:Bee Venoms; D011493:Protein Kinase C