Pain is the most common physical symptom of
cancer patients, with most patients experiencing more than one site of
pain. Current treatments lack full efficacy. Based on the need for new approaches in that field the effect of systemic administration of
lacosamide (SPM 927, (R)-2-acetamido-N-benzyl-3-methoxypropionamide, previously referred to as
harkoseride or ADD 234037), a member of a series of functionalized
amino acids that were specifically synthesized as
anticonvulsive drug candidates, was examined in rats in a
tumor-induced
bone cancer pain model and in a
chemotherapy-induced
neuropathic pain model.
Lacosamide inhibited
tactile allodynia (20, 40 mg/kg, i.p.),
thermal hyperalgesia (30 mg/kg) and reduced weight-bearing differences (40 mg/kg) in the rat model of
bone cancer pain induced by injection of MRMT-1 cells into the tibia.
Morphine (5 mg/kg, s.c) was effective inhibiting
tactile allodynia and weight bearing but could not reduce
thermal hyperalgesia. In the
vincristine-induced
neuropathic pain model,
lacosamide attenuated
thermal allodynia, on the cold plate (4 degrees C),
at 10 and 30 mg/kg, and in the warm (38 degrees C) and hot plate (52 degrees C) even at 3 mg/kg.
Tactile allodynia and
mechanical hyperalgesia were inhibited by
lacosamide at 10 and 30 mg/kg. In contrast to
lacosamide,
morphine (3 mg/kg, s.c.) had no effect on
mechanical hyperalgesia.
Lacosamide is effective as an
analgesic in a
bone cancer pain model as well as
chemotherapy-induced
neuropathic pain model in animals and even reduced
hyperalgesia where
morphine did not (3 or 5 mg/kg, s.c.).