title: Tumor necrosis factor-α of Red nucleus involved in the development of neuropathic allodynia.
abstract: The pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is associated with the generation of inflammatory and neuropathic pain. The current study aims to investigate the expression of TNF-α in the brain of rats with spared nerve injury (SNI), a neuropathic pain model with the lesion of common peroneal and tibial nerves. Two weeks following SNI, the immunohistochemical results identified that the expression level of TNF-α in the Red nucleus (RN) of SNI rats was apparently higher than that of sham-operated rats. To further study the roles of TNF-α in the development of neuropathic pain, different doses of anti-TNF-α antibody (20, 2.0 and 0.2 μg/ml) were microinjected into the RN contralateral to the nerve injury side of SNI rats. The results showed that the 50% paw withdrawal threshold (von Frey test) of SNI rats were increased by 20 and 2.0 μg/ml anti-TNF-α antibody as compared with that of the basic value and control groups (P<0.05), the analgesic effect lasted for 50 and 30 min, respectively. However, no significant analgesic effect was observed after 0.2 μg/ml antibody was microinjected into the RN. These results suggest that the TNF-α of RN is involved in the development of neuropathic allodynia in SNI rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Pathogenic Biology, Xi'an Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Junyang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhihong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chenfang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Xiaoping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.forename: Yukang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Guixiang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012012:Red Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha