Sialic acid contributes to generation of ectopic spontaneous discharges in rats with neuropathic pain

Ectopic spontaneous discharges (ESD) of teased myelinated fibers were recorded from the sciatic nerve proximal to the site of 'chronic constriction nerve injury' in the rat. Ca2+, Mg2+, Mn2+, Ni2+, La3+ and some positively charged organic compounds (hexamethonium and poly-lysine) when applied topically to the injured site abolished or significantly reduced the rate of ESD. After enzymatic removal of sialic acid by neuraminidase (2 units/ml), the ESD was silenced in 11, reduced in four and unchanged in four of 19 fibers. However, divalent cations failed to depress the reappeared ESD evoked by 4-aminopyridine in the desialylated silenced fibers. Moreover, the mean incidence of ESD was significantly reduced after neuraminidase treatment. These results indicate that an increase in negative charges on the external membrane surface of injured neuron caused by sialylation is a key factor in ESD generation. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.