title: DEET potentiates the development and persistence of anticholinesterase dependent chronic pain signs in a rat model of Gulf War Illness pain.
abstract: Exposure to DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) may have influenced the pattern of symptoms observed in soldiers with GWI (Gulf War Illness; Haley and Kurt, 1997). We examined how the addition of DEET (400mg/kg; 50% topical) to an exposure protocol of permethrin (2.6mg/kg; topical), chlorpyrifos (CP; 120mg/kg), and pyridostigmine bromide (PB;13mg/kg) altered the emergence and pattern of pain signs in an animal model of GWI pain (Nutter et al., 2015). Rats underwent behavioral testing before, during and after a 4week exposure: 1) hindlimb pressure withdrawal threshold; 2) ambulation (movement distance and rate); and 3) resting duration. Additional studies were conducted to assess the influence of acute DEET (10-100μM) on muscle and vascular nociceptor Kv7, KDR, Nav1.8 and Nav1.9. We report that a 50% concentration of DEET enhanced the development and persistence of pain-signs. Rats exposed to all 4 compounds exhibited ambulation deficits that appeared 5-12weeks post-exposure and persisted through weeks 21-24. Rats exposed to only three agents (CP or PB excluded), did not fully develop ambulation deficits. When PB was excluded, rats also developed rest duration pain signs, in addition to ambulation deficits. There was no evidence that physiological doses of DEET acutely modified nociceptor Kv7, KDR, Nav1.8 or Nav1.9 activities. Nevertheless, DEET augmented protocols decreased the conductance of Kv7 expressed in vascular nociceptors harvested from chronically exposed rats. We concluded that DEET enhanced the development and persistence of pain behaviors, but the anticholinesterases CP and PB played a determinant role.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuroscience, Dept. of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Box 100416, JHMHC, University of Florida College of Dentistry, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. Electronic address: lflunker@dental.ufl.edu.
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Flunker
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuroscience, Dept. of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Box 100416, JHMHC, University of Florida College of Dentistry, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. Electronic address: tnutter@dental.ufl.edu.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Nutter
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida College of Veterinary Science, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. Electronic address: rdjohnso@ufl.edu.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuroscience, Dept. of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Box 100416, JHMHC, University of Florida College of Dentistry, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. Electronic address: bcooper@dental.ufl.edu.
authors.forename: B Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D003671:DEET / Q000633:toxicity*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004357:Drug Synergism; D007302:Insect Repellents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000187:drug effects / Q000379:methods; D018923:Persian Gulf Syndrome / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D007302:Insect Repellents; D003671:DEET
keywords: Chronic Pain; DEET; Gulf War Illness; K(v)7; chlorpyrifos; pyridostigmine