title: Puerarin alleviates neuropathic pain by inhibiting neuroinflammation in spinal cord.
abstract: Neuropathic pain responds poorly to drug treatments, and partial relief is achieved in only about half of the patients. Puerarin, the main constituent of Puerariae Lobatae Radix, has been used extensively in China to treat hypertension and tumor. The current study examined the effects of puerarin on neuropathic pain using two most commonly used animal models: chronic constriction injury (CCI) and diabetic neuropathy. We found that consecutive intrathecal administration of puerarin (4-100 nM) for 7 days inhibited the mechanical and thermal nociceptive response induced by CCI and diabetes without interfering with the normal pain response. Meanwhile, in both models puerarin inhibited the activation of microglia and astroglia in the spinal dorsal horn. Puerarin also reduced the upregulated levels of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and other proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, in the spinal cord. In summary, puerarin alleviated CCI- and diabetes-induced neuropathic pain, and its effectiveness might be due to the inhibition of neuroinflammation in the spinal cord. The anti-inflammation effect of puerarin might be related to the suppression of spinal NF-κB activation and/or cytokines upregulation. We conclude that puerarin has a significant effect on alleviating neuropathic pain and thus may serve as a therapeutic approach for neuropathic pain.
authors.affiliation: Xiamen Diabetes Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, 55 Zhenhai Road, Xiamen 361003, China ; Huazhong University of Science & Technology, China ; Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2042-6191
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Kaijun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Changxi
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8115-0411
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Xiamen Diabetes Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, 55 Zhenhai Road, Xiamen 361003, China ; Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, China.
authors.forename: Xuejun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Xiamen Diabetes Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, 55 Zhenhai Road, Xiamen 361003, China ; Central Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, China.
authors.forename: Suhuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Xiamen Diabetes Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, 55 Zhenhai Road, Xiamen 361003, China ; Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, China.
authors.forename: Shuyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000150:complications; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000150:complications; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007529:Isoflavones; C033607:puerarin
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