Cytokines in the dorsal root ganglia of experimental neuropathic pain models
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| Year of publication | 2013 |
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| Description | The dorsal root ganglia (DRG) contain bodies of the primary sensory neurons which transmit sensory information from the periphery to the CNS. There is compelling evidence indicating that hyperalgesia and ongoing pain due to peripheral nerve injury are associated with cellular and molecular changes in DRG. Data from animal experiments give unequivocal evidence for the crucial role of cytokine upregulations in DRG for the initiation and maintenance of neuropathic pain (NPP). Our experimental results revealed that upregulation of both pro- (IL-1b, TNFa, IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-10) cytokines in DRG from two different animal models of NPP are not limited to DRG related with damaged nerve. We found that elevation of cytokines in DRG is propagated alongside neuroaxis from lumbar to remote cervical segments without association with behavioural manifestation of hyperalgesia. In summary, there is no doubt that an imbalance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine expressions contribute to NPP. However, cytokines are only one element in a large pool of algesic substances that in a combination modulate charge of the primary sensory neurons to induce NPP. |
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