Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023020 | Regulatory Peptides | 2008 | 5 Pages |
Abstract
Nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) is a heptadecapeptide, which has been identified as an endogenous ligand of the opioid receptor-like (ORL1) receptor. The present study investigated the nociceptive effect of intra-nucleus accumbens (intra-NAc) injection of OFQ, and the involvement of ERK pathway in such effect. Intra-NAc injection of OFQ (0.1, 0.5, 1Â nmol) dose-dependently decreased the nociceptive thresholds on the hindpaw withdrawal response to thermal and mechanical stimulation in rats. Moreover, the intra-NAc injection of OFQ-induced decreases in HWLs were antagonized by intra-NAc injection of (Nphe1)nociceptin(1-13)NH2, an antagonist of ORL1 receptor, in a dose-dependent way. Furthermore, the OFQ-induced nociception could be attenuated by pretreatment with the mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase (MEK) inhibitor 1,4-diamino-2,3-dicyano-1,4-bis(2-aminopheylthio)butadiene (U0126). Our results demonstrate that OFQ induces nociceptive effects in NAc. The effect was blocked by the antagonist (Nphe1)nociceptin(1-13)NH2 and attenuated by U0126, suggesting that the activation of ERK pathways is involved in the OFQ-induced nociceptive effect in the NAc of rats.
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Authors
Li-Ying Chen, Jia-Xin Huang, Long-Chuan Yu,