title: Intrathecal [6]-gingerol administration alleviates peripherally induced neuropathic pain in male Sprague-Dawley rats.
abstract: [6]-Gingerol, a structural analog of capsaicin, is an agonist of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 channel, which is known to have therapeutic properties for the treatment of pain and inflammation. The main objective of this study was to determine the central effect of [6]-gingerol on neuropathic pain when injected intrathecally at the level of the lumbar spinal cord. [6]-Gingerol distribution was evaluated following a 40 mg/kg intraperitoneal injection, and the brain-to-plasma and spinal cord-to-plasma ratios (0.73 and 1.7, respectively) suggest that [6]-gingerol penetrates well the central nervous system of rats. Induction of pain was performed using the sciatic nerve ligation model on rats, and a 10-µg intrathecal injections of [6]-gingerol was performed to evaluate its central effect. The results suggest a significant decrease of secondary mechanical allodynia after 30 min, 2 h and 4 h (p < 0.05, p < 0.01 and p < 0.001) and thermal hyperalgesia after 30 min, 2 h and 4 h (p < 0.05, p < 0.01 and p < 0.01). These promising results illustrate that [6]-gingerol could alleviate neuropathic pain by acting centrally at the level of the spinal cord.
authors.affiliation: Groupe de Recherche en Pharmacologie Animal du Québec (GREPAQ), Département de biomédecine vétérinaire, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Marie-Lou
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Gauthier
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Beaudry
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vachon
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D002396:Catechols / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects*; D005233:Fatty Alcohols / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000188:drug therapy; D007278:Injections, Spinal; D008297:Male; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D002396:Catechols; D005233:Fatty Alcohols; C007845:gingerol