title: Drug combinations in diabetic neuropathic pain: an experimental validation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diabetic neuropathy is the most common complication of diabetes mellitus, and the different drug combinations available do not provide effective pain relief. The present study was performed to observe the effect of amitripyline, duloxetine, sitagliptin, and pregabalin, and their combinations on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic neuropathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diabetic neuropathy was induced by STZ, and the tail-flick test was used to assess thermal hyperalgesia before and after (at 30, 60, and 120 min) drug administration. One week after STZ administration, the blood glucose level was observed to be in the diabetic range.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Administration of all the drugs except sitagliptin increased the tail-flick latency significantly as compared to control. Further, the drugs amitriptyline, duloxetine, and pregabalin showed significant pain-relieving effect, when either two of them were administered in combination, although the different combinations had varied degree of pain relief. However, sitagliptin was observed to have no effect when administered alone or in combination with the other three drugs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Therefore, the study provides new insights concerning combined therapy of pain, which further needs clinical exploration.
authors.forename: Chakra Dhar
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Tripathi
authors.forename: Ashish K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.forename: Amol M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Yadav
mesh_terms: D000639:Amitriptyline / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D000068736:Duloxetine Hydrochloride / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000187:drug effects / Q000379:methods; D000069583:Pregabalin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D000068900:Sitagliptin Phosphate / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000639:Amitriptyline; D000069583:Pregabalin; D000068736:Duloxetine Hydrochloride; D000068900:Sitagliptin Phosphate