Suppression of inflammatory and neuropathic pain symptoms in mice lacking the N-type Ca2+ channel.

Abstract	The importance of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (VDCCs) in pain transmission has been noticed gradually, as several VDCC blockers have been shown to be effective in inhibiting this process. In particular, the N-type VDCC has attracted attention, because inhibitors of this channel are effective in various aspects of pain-related phenomena. To understand the genuine contribution of the N-type VDCC to the pain transmission system, we generated mice deficient in this channel by gene targeting. We report here that mice lacking N-type VDCCs show suppressed responses to a painful stimulus that induces inflammation and show markedly reduced symptoms of neuropathic pain, which is caused by nerve injury and is known to be difficult to treat by currently available therapeutic methods. This finding clearly demonstrates that the N-type VDCC is essential for development of neuropathic pain and, therefore, controlling the activity of this channel can be of great importance for the management of neuropathic pain.
Authors	H Saegusa, T Kurihara, S Zong, A Kazuno, Y Matsuda, T Nonaka, W Han, H Toriyama, T Tanabe
Journal	The EMBO journal (EMBO J) Vol. 20 Issue 10 Pg. 2349-56 (May 15 2001) ISSN: 0261-4189 [Print] England
PMID	11350923 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
Chemical References	Calcium Channel Blockers Calcium Channels, N-Type omega-Agatoxin IVA Formaldehyde Acetic Acid
Topics	Acetic Acid (administration & dosage, adverse effects, immunology) Acoustic Stimulation Animals Anxiety (etiology) Behavior, Animal Calcium Channel Blockers (pharmacology) Calcium Channels, N-Type (genetics, physiology) Formaldehyde (administration & dosage, adverse effects, immunology) Ganglia, Spinal (cytology) Gene Targeting Hyperalgesia (physiopathology) Mice Mice, Knockout Motor Activity Neurons (drug effects) Nociceptors Pain (etiology, physiopathology) Periaqueductal Gray (metabolism) Spinal Nerves (injuries) omega-Agatoxin IVA (pharmacology)

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