Levels of neuropeptides nocistatin, nociceptin/orphanin FQ and their precursor protein in a rat neuropathic pain model.

Abstract

Neuropeptides nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) and nocistatin (NST) are related to pain modulation. The amounts of these peptides and their precursor protein, prepronociceptin (ppN/OFQ) in the brain, spinal cord and serum samples of rats with partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSNL) were compared with those in naïve rats using radioimmunoassay (RIA). There was a significant rise in the levels of ppN/OFQ, N/OFQ and NST in the brains of PSNL rats. Their spinal cords showed significantly increased ppN/OFQ and NST levels but no change in N/OFQ levels. The PSNL rats also had increased serum NST (statistically significant) and N/OFQ (statistically insignificant) with decreased ppN/OFQ suggesting important roles of these peptides in neuropathic pain mechanism.

• Authors: Tessy Joseph, Tat-Leang Lee, Chunmei Li, Chiang Siau, Yuji Nishiuchi, Terutoshi Kimura, Shinro Tachibana
• Journal: Peptides (Peptides) Vol. 28 Issue 7 Pg. 1433-40 (Jul 2007) ISSN: 0196-9781 [Print] United States
• PMID: 17583384 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antibodies
• Opioid Peptides
• Protein Precursors
• Receptors, Opioid
• nocistatin
• prepronociceptin
• nociceptin

Topics

• Animals
• Antibodies (immunology)
• Brain (metabolism)
• Hyperalgesia (metabolism)
• Male
• Models, Animal
• Opioid Peptides (blood, cerebrospinal fluid, metabolism)
• Pain (metabolism)
• Pain Measurement
• Protein Precursors (blood, cerebrospinal fluid, metabolism)
• Radioimmunoassay
• Rats
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• Receptors, Opioid (blood, metabolism)
• Sciatic Nerve (metabolism, surgery)
• Spinal Cord (metabolism)