title: Somatosensory cortex stimulation-evoked analgesia in rats: potentiation by NO synthase inhibition.
abstract: Clinical and immunohistochemical evidence suggests the possible significance of electrical stimulation of the secondary somatosensory cortex (S-II) as an analgesic therapy. The aim of the present study was to gain behavioral evidence for S-II stimulation-induced antinociception in conscious rats and to evaluate if the evoked antinociception can be potentiated by the neuronal NO synthase inhibitor 7-nitro-indazole. S-II stimulation produced a weak antinociception in the formalin-induced nociception test, but not in the thermal or mechanical nociception tests. This effect was remarkably potentiated by systemic administration of 7-nitro-indazole at a small dose that had no effect by itself. Thus, our data provide behavioral evidence for S-II stimulation-induced analgesia and may also predict a novel therapeutic strategy in combination with NO synthase inhibitors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology & Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kinki University, Higashi-Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawabata
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kawao
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Umeda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takemura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shigenaga
mesh_terms: D000698:Analgesia; D000818:Animals; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005557:Formaldehyde; D007191:Indazoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007191:Indazoles; D005557:Formaldehyde; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; C496322:Nos1 protein, rat; C080122:7-nitroindazole