Preemptive levetiracetam decreases postoperative pain in rats.
OBJECTIVE
Preemptive versus therapeutic effects of levetiracetam were investigated in a model of postoperative incisional pain in rats.


METHODS
Levetiracetam (250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg intraperitoneal (i.p.) or morphine (5 mg/kg i.p.) was administered either 1 h before (preemptive administration) or 1 h after (therapeutic administration) incisional surgery to the hind paw of rats. The effects of levetiracetam were evaluated based on thermal hyperalgesia measured by the plantar test.


RESULTS
All preoperatively treated levetiracetam groups showed a significant, dose dependent, increase in paw withdrawal latency. However, post-incisional administration of levetiracetam produced no antihyperalgesic effect at any dose or at any time. In contrast, post-incisional administration of morphine reduced thermal hyperalgesia, while preemptive administration of morphine did not produce any significant antihyperalgesic effects.


CONCLUSIONS
The present results suggest that levetiracetam might possess preemptive analgesic activity.
Sliva
Jiri
J
Department of Pharmacology, 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. slivaj@seznam.cz
Dolezal
Tomas
T
Prochazkova
Michaela
M
Votava
Martin
M
Krsiak
Miloslav
M
D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D008297:Male; D009020:Morphine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010889:Piracetam / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D011292:Premedication; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000700:Analgesics; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D009020:Morphine; D010889:Piracetam