Chronic pain with
mood disorder, resulting from a
peripheral nerve injury, is a serious clinical problem affecting the quality of life. A lack of
brain-derived neurotrophic factor (
BDNF) and abnormal intercellular signaling in the brain can mediate this symptom.
BDNF is induced in cultured neurons by
4-methylcatechol (4-MC), but little is known about its role in
pain-emotion. Thus, we characterized the actions of 4-MC on
TrkB receptor-related pERK and
BDNF mRNA in discreet brain regions related to
pain-emotion after
chronic pain in rat. Rats implanted with a
stainless steel cannula into the lateral ventricular were subjected to chronic constriction injury (CCI).
Pain was assessed by changes in paw withdrawal latency (PWL) to heat stimuli after CCI. Immobility time during the forced swimming testing was measured for depression-like behavior.
Analgesic and antidepression modulations with 4-MC were examined by an anti-
BDNF antibody (
K252a, a
TrkB receptor inhibitor). The animals were perfused and fixed (4%
paraformaldehyde) for immunohistochemistry analysis (c-FOS/pERK).
BDNF mRNA expression (anterior cingulate cortex) was determined using reverse transcription-PCR. Rats showed a sustained decrease in PWL, associated with a prolonged immobility time after CCI. 4-MC reduced decreases in PWL and increased immobility time. 4-MC reduced increases in pERK immunoreactivity and decreases in
BDNF mRNA expression in regions related to
pain and the limbic system. Anti-
BDNF blocked effects induced by 4-MC. We suggest that a lack of
BDNF associated with activated
extracellular signal-regulated kinase in the
pain-emotion network may be involved in depression-like behavior during
chronic pain. 4-MC ameliorates
pain-emotion symptoms by inducing
BDNF and normalizing pERK activities.