The antinociceptive effects of ferulic acid on neuropathic pain: involvement of descending monoaminergic system and opioid receptors.

Abstract

Neuropathic pain can be considered as a form of chronic stress that may share common neuropathological mechanism between pain and stress-related depression and respond to similar treatment. Ferulic acid (FA) is a major active component of angelica sinensis and has been reported to exert antidepressant-like effects; however, it remains unknown whether FA ameliorate chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced neuropathic pain and the involvement of descending monoaminergic system and opioid receptors. Chronic treatment with FA (20, 40 and 80 mg/kg) ameliorated mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in von Frey hair and hot plate tasks, accompanied by increasing spinal noradrenaline (NA) and serotonin (5-HT) levels. Subsequent study suggested that treatment of CCI animals with 40 and 80 mg/kg FA also inhibited spinal MAO-A levels. FA's effects on mechanical allodynia or thermal hyperalgesiawas blocked by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) or p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) via pharmacological depletion of spinal noradrenaline or serotonin. Moreover, the anti-allodynic action of FA on mechanical stimuli was prevented by pre-treatment with beta2-adrenoceptor antagonist ICI 118,551, or by the delta-opioid receptor antagonist naltrindole. While the anti-hyperalgesia on thermal stimuli induced by FA was blocked by pre-treatment with 5-HT1A receptor antagonist WAY-100635, or with the irreversible mu-opioid receptor antagonist beta-funaltrexamine. These results suggest that the effect of FA on neuropathic pain is potentially mediated via amelioration of the descending monoaminergic system that coupled with spinal beta2- and 5-HT1A receptors and the downstream delta- and mu-opioid receptors differentially.

• Authors: Ying Xu, Dan Lin, Xuefeng Yu, Xupei Xie, Liqun Wang, Lejing Lian, Ning Fei, Jie Chen, Naping Zhu, Gang Wang, Xianfeng Huang, Jianchun Pan
• Journal: Oncotarget (Oncotarget) Vol. 7 Issue 15 Pg. 20455-68 (Apr 12 2016) ISSN: 1949-2553 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 26967251 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Analgesics
• Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
• Coumaric Acids
• Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2
• Receptors, Opioid
• Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A
• Serotonin
• ferulic acid
• Monoamine Oxidase

Topics

• Analgesics (pharmacology)
• Animals
• Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal (pharmacology)
• Coumaric Acids (pharmacology)
• Hyperalgesia (drug therapy, metabolism)
• Male
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred ICR
• Monoamine Oxidase (metabolism)
• Neuralgia (drug therapy, metabolism)
• Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A (metabolism)
• Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2 (metabolism)
• Receptors, Opioid (metabolism)
• Serotonin (metabolism)