title: Evaluation of heat hyperalgesia and anxiety like-behaviors in a rat model of orofacial cancer.
abstract: Pain and anxiety are commonly experienced by cancer patients and both significantly impair their quality of life. Some authors claim that there is a relationship between pain and anxiety, while others suggest that there is not a direct association. In any case, there is indeed a consensus that anxiety impairs the pain condition beyond be under diagnosed and undertreated in cancer pain patients. Herein we investigated if rats presenting heat hyperalgesia induced by orofacial cancer cell inoculation would display anxiety-like behaviors. In addition, we evaluated if pain blockade would result in alleviation of anxiety behaviors, as well as, if blockade of anxiety would result in pain relief. Orofacial cancer was induced in male Wistar rats by inoculation of Walker-256 cells into the right vibrissal pad. Heat facial hyperalgesia was assessed on day 6 after the inoculation, and on this time point rats were submitted to the elevated plus maze and the light-dark transition tests. The influence of lidocaine and midazolam on heat hyperalgesia and anxiety-like behaviors was assessed. The peak of facial heat hyperalgesia was detected 6 days after cancer cells inoculation, and at this time point, rats exhibited increased anxiety-like behaviors. Local treatment with lidocaine (2%/50μL) caused a marked reduction of heat hyperalgesia, but failed to affect the anxiety-like behaviors, while midazolam (0.5mg/kg, i.p.) treatment failed to change the heat threshold, but induced an anxiolytic-like effect. Altogether, our data demonstrated that rats with orofacial cancer present pain- and anxiety-like behaviors, but brief heat hyperalgesia relief does not affect the anxiety-like behaviors, and vice-versa, in our experimental conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Biological Sciences Building, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eder
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gambeta
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Biological Sciences Building, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Caroline Machado
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Kopruszinski
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Biological Sciences Building, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renata Cristiane
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Dos Reis
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Biological Sciences Building, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, PR, Brazil. Electronic address: janaina.zanoveli@ufpr.br.
authors.forename: Janaina Menezes
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Zanoveli
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Biological Sciences Building, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juliana Geremias
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Chichorro
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005153:Facial Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008874:Midazolam / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012684:Sensory Thresholds
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D008012:Lidocaine; D008874:Midazolam
keywords: Anxiety; Cancer; Hyperalgesia; Lidocaine; Midazolam; Rats