title: Levels of neuropeptides nocistatin, nociceptin/orphanin FQ and their precursor protein in a rat neuropathic pain model.
abstract: Neuropeptides nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) and nocistatin (NST) are related to pain modulation. The amounts of these peptides and their precursor protein, prepronociceptin (ppN/OFQ) in the brain, spinal cord and serum samples of rats with partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSNL) were compared with those in naïve rats using radioimmunoassay (RIA). There was a significant rise in the levels of ppN/OFQ, N/OFQ and NST in the brains of PSNL rats. Their spinal cords showed significantly increased ppN/OFQ and NST levels but no change in N/OFQ levels. The PSNL rats also had increased serum NST (statistically significant) and N/OFQ (statistically insignificant) with decreased ppN/OFQ suggesting important roles of these peptides in neuropathic pain mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119074, Singapore.
authors.forename: Tessy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.forename: Tat-Leang
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chunmei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Chiang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Siau
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishiuchi
authors.forename: Terutoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Shinro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tachibana
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D018847:Opioid Peptides / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000378:metabolism*; D010146:Pain / Q000378:metabolism*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000378:metabolism*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism; D000097629:Nociceptin
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D018847:Opioid Peptides; D011498:Protein Precursors; D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D000097629:Nociceptin; C111148:nocistatin; C121527:prepronociceptin