科研之友
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摘要
We examined the effects of propentofylline (PPF) injected intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v., 30 mM, 10 mu l) into female Sprague-Dawley rats on pain responses in the formalin test and on the number of glial fibrillary acidic protein-immunopositive (GFAP-ip) astrocytes in the caudatoputamen (CPu) and periaqueductal grey (PAG) of these animals. The mean durations of flinch and lifting/biting of the limb in the PPF group vs. the vehicle (normal saline) group within phase 1 of the pain response were 280.0 +/- +/- 71.6 vs. 401.0 +/- 69.0 sec and 69.5 +/- 34.8 vs. 145.5 +/- 18.6 sec, respectively (P > 0.05 in both cases, n = 7). During phase 2, the respective figures were 152.6 +/- 104.0 vs. 1602.7 +/- 100.9 sec and 79.1 +/- +/- 69.1 vs. 376.1 +/- 56.5 sec (P < 0.01 in both cases). The mean numbers of GFAP-positive astrocytes per slice observed in the PPF and vehicle groups in the CPu were 35 +/- 3.1 vs. 55 +/- 1.9 (P < 0.01, n = 7), and those in the PAG were 30 +/- 2.2 vs. 49 +/- 1.2 (P < 0.01, n = 11). Thus, i. c.v. administration of PPF suppresses inflammatory pain induced by formalin injection in rats; there are reasons to believe that glial cells (astrocytes) in certain brain structures are intensely involved in the formation of a sensation of inflammatory pain.
