title: c-Fos expression in the spinal cord of female rats with artificial ureteric calculosis.
abstract: Rats with an artificial stone in the left ureter display spontaneous pain behavior (ureteral 'crises') and referred hyperalgesia/contraction in the ipsilateral oblique musculature. To evaluate neuronal activation in both sensitive and motor pathways in this model, c-Fos expression was studied in the spinal cord of calculosis rats vs. sham controls. Fos-labeled cells were never observed in sham controls. In stone rats, they were found in the T10-L2 segments, throughout the dorsal horn, significantly more on the left than the right side (P < 0.002). Fos-labeled cells were also found in lamina IX, containing motoneurons; at the T11-T12 level, these were significantly more on the left than the right side (P < 0.03). Nociceptive input from the ureter thus activates not only sensory but also efferent neurons in the spinal cord, suggesting the triggering of reflex arcs by the visceral focus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Section of Neuroscience and Applied Physiology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aloisi
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ceccarelli
authors.forename: Giannapia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Affaitati
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lerza
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vecchiet
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Larenna
authors.forename: Maria Adele
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Giamberardino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000870:Anterior Horn Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D010146:Pain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D014513:Ureter / Q000294:innervation* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014514:Ureteral Calculi / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017833:Visceral Afferents / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos