Original articleSpinal 5-HT4 and 5-HT6 receptors contribute to the maintenance of neuropathic pain in rats

- Selective 5-HT4 and 5-HT6 antagonists reduce allodynia in neuropathic rats.
- Selective 5-HT4 and 5-HT6 agonists prevent the antiallodynic effect of the antagonists.
- 5-HT4 and 5-HT6 receptor proteins are expressed in the lumbar spinal cord.
- Spinal 5-HT4 and 5-HT6 receptors participate in the maintenance of neuropathic pain.

BackgroundNerve injury promotes release of 5-HT at the spinal cord. Once released, 5-HT may produce antinociceptive or pronociceptive effects depending of the nature of 5-HT receptors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the participation of spinal 5-HT4 and 5-HT6 receptors in the maintenance of neuropathic pain in rats.MethodsTactile allodynia was measured using von Frey hairs in male Wistar rats subjected to L5-L6 spinal nerve injury. Selective 5-HT4 (GR-113808, 0.01-10 nmol/rat) and 5-HT6 (SB-258585, 1-1000 nmol/rat) receptor antagonists were administered intrathecally to nerve injured rats. Likewise, the most effective dose of 5-HT4 (1 nmol/rat) and 5-HT6 (100 nmol/rat) antagonists were co-administered with their respective agonists (ML-10302, 10-100 nmol/rat and WAY-208466, 100-1000 nmol/rat, respectively). Spinal cord protein expression of both receptors was determined by western blot.ResultsIntrathecal administration of 5-HT4 or 5-HT6 receptor antagonists, but not vehicle, decreased in a dose-dependent manner tactile allodynia in neuropathic rats. Moreover, intrathecal co-administration with the agonists prevented in a dose-dependent manner the antagonists-induced antiallodynic effect. Both 5-HT4 and 5-HT6 receptors were expressed in the spinal cord of naïve, sham and neuropathic rats. Nerve injury did not modify expression of any receptor.ConclusionsData suggests that spinal 5-HT4 and 5-HT6 receptors are expressed in dorsal spinal cord and they participate in the maintenance of neuropathic pain in rats. In this regard, blockade of these receptors could be a useful strategy to treat neuropathic pain states.