Neuropathic
cancer pain is caused by
tumors compressing the spinal nerve roots and is usually difficult to treat. The aim of current study was to determine the influence of
NGF antibody on
pain-related markers and behavior in a mouse model of neuropathic
cancer pain. Twenty mice were used to model neuropathic
cancer pain by applying murine
sarcoma cells to their left sciatic nerve. Ten mice were
sham operated. Two weeks after surgery, the murine
sarcoma-affected mice were allocated randomly into treatment groups receiving either sterile saline (saline group) or an anti-
nerve growth factor antibody (anti-
NGF group). Three weeks after surgery (a week
after treatment), the
pain-related behavior of mice was evaluated using a CatWalk system. Subsequently, bilateral dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) from the L4-L6 levels and spinal cords at L4-L6 levels were resected. DRGs were immunostained for
calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and
activating transcription factor 3 (ATF-3), and spinal cords were immunostained for ionized
calcium-binding adaptor molecule-1 (iba-1).
Mechanical allodynia was observed in mice from the saline group and was improved in mice from the anti-
NGF group. CGRP and ATF-3-immunoreactivity in DRGs and microglia expression in the spinal dorsal horn were upregulated in the saline group compared with the
sham group, and they were suppressed in the anti-
NGF group compared with the saline group (P<0.05). These findings suggest that anti-
NGF therapy might be valuable for treating neuropathic
cancer pain.