title: Role of corticotropin-releasing factor and its receptor in nociceptive modulation in the central nucleus of amygdala in rats.
abstract: Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) plays important physiological functions in the central nervous system. The present study was performed to investigate the role of CRF and CRF receptor in nociceptive modulation in the central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) of rats. The hindpaw withdrawal latency (HWL) to noxious thermal and mechanical stimulation increased significantly after intra-CeA administration of 0.1 and 0.01 nmol of CRF, but not 0.001 nmol, indicating that CRF induces antinociceptive effects in the CeA of rats. The antinociceptive effect may be due to the dose of CRF was attenuated by intra-CeA administration of 0.1 nmol alpha-hCRF9-41, a selective CRF receptor antagonist, suggesting that the CRF-induced antinociception is mediated by the CRF receptors in the CeA. Furthermore, the HWL to both thermal and mechanical stimulation decreased significantly after intra-CeA administration of alpha-hCRF9-41 alone, suggesting an involvement of endogenous CRF in the CeA in nociceptive modulation. The present study demonstrated that both exogenous and endogenous CRF plays an antinociceptive effect in the CeA, the effect is mediated by CRF receptor.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory Neurobiology, Department of Physiology, College of Life Sciences, and National Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China.
authors.forename: Xi-Yun
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lundeberg
authors.forename: Long-Chuan
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000679:Amygdala / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010146:Pain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018019:Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000819:agonists / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D018019:Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone