The mechanisms underlying the pronociceptive effect of paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) are not fully established. The modulation of
BDNF signaling-mediated descending facilitation from the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) of brain stem has been demonstrated in persistent
pain models of inflammatory
pain, but not in incisional
pain model. Recent study has shown that PSD increases the expression of
brain-derived neurotrophic factor (
BDNF) in the brainstem structure. Therefore, in the current study, we asked whether the
BDNF signaling-mediated descending facilitation was involved in the PSD-induced pronociceptive effect on incisional
pain and delay the recovery period of
postoperative pain in rats. Our results found that a preoperative 24 h PSD significantly aggravated the
pain hypersensitivity after incision and prolonged the duration of
postoperative pain. The lesions of ipsilateral dorsolateral funiculus partly reversed the PSD-induced pronociceptive effect on incisional
pain. Interestingly, the 24 h PSD, but not incision significantly enhanced the levels of
BDNF protein expression in the RVM areas of rats. Furthermore, at 1 day or 4 days after incision, intra-RVM microinjection of a
BDNF antibody partly reversed the PSD-induced pronociceptive effects in incisional rats, while it did not change the cumulative
pain scores and paw withdrawal thresholds in rats receiving only plantar incision. These findings suggest that the preoperative PSD may aggravate and prolong the incision-induced
pain hypersensitivity via
BDNF signaling-mediated descending facilitation.