Lack of pre-emptive analgesic effects of local anaesthetics on neuropathic pain.
We investigated the significance of pre-emptive analgesia using a well-known model of neuropathic pain in rats. Lignocaine, bupivacaine or saline was applied locally to the left L5-L6 spinal nerve before or 4 days after nerve injury. Mechanical allodynia was then evaluated before and after injury. Pre- and post-injury treatment with local anaesthetics both resulted in a two- to threefold increase in the pain threshold, as manifested by a significant increase in von Frey measurements. However, this effect lasted only 24 h. Our study in rats questions the beneficial effect of a single dose of local anaesthetic as pre-emptive analgesia.
Abdi
S
S
Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02114, USA.
Lee
D H
DH
Park
S K
SK
Chung
J M
JM
D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D002045:Bupivacaine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000187:drug effects; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013127:Spinal Nerves / Q000293:injuries
D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D008012:Lidocaine; D002045:Bupivacaine