title: The correlation between pain-related behaviour and spinal microgliosis in four distinct models of peripheral neuropathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Peripheral nerve injury is associated with a spinal microglial response that has been correlated with the development of behaviours reflective of neuropathic pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  To examine whether this phenomenon is generalizable to neuropathic pain of non-traumatic aetiology, this study investigated the association between spinal microgliosis and behavioural measures of neuropathic hypersensitivity and pain-related anxiety behaviour in four distinct rat models of peripheral neuropathic pain. These were traumatic neuropathy [L5 spinal nerve transection (SNT)], HIV-related neuropathies (either treatment with the antiretroviral drug Zalcitabine (ddC) or combination of perineural exposure to the HIV-gp120 protein and ddC treatment) and varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Persistent mechanical hypersensitivity developed in all 'neuropathic' rats. However, spinal microgliosis, as measured by increased CD11b/c immunohistochemical staining and increased numbers of cells expressing CD11b measured by flow cytometry, was evident in the SNT and to a lesser extent in the HIV neuropathy models but not the VZV model. These results suggest that behavioural hypersensitivity and thigmotaxis can only be linked to a microglial response in certain models of neuropathy.
authors.affiliation: Section of Anaesthetics, Pain Medicine and Intensive Care, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, UK. julieblackbeard@hotmail.com
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blackbeard
authors.forename: V C J
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: O'Dea
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hasnie
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Segerdahl
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pheby
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Field
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takata
authors.forename: A S C
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Rice
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005911:Gliosis / Q000473:pathology*; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000009:adverse effects; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000473:pathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D017628:Microglia / Q000473:pathology*; D059348:Peripheral Nerve Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology*; D013127:Spinal Nerves / Q000293:injuries; D016047:Zalcitabine / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; D016047:Zalcitabine