Journal
BRAIN RESEARCH
Volume 1249, Issue -, Pages 128-134Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2008.10.038
Keywords
Ca2+ channel; Pain; Dorsal horn; Immunohistochemistry; Morphine tolerance
Categories
Funding
- Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi
Ask authors/readers for more resources
We have earlier reported that nifedipine and nimodipine, both L-type voltage-sensitive calcium channel (L-VSCC) antagonists, attenuate the development of tolerance to chronic administration of morphine in the rat. In the present study, we have investigated the expression of L- and N-type VSCC using immunohisto-chemistry, in the cervical region of the spinal cords from animals treated chronically with morphine alone or in combination with nimodipine. The highest expression of both VSCCs within the spinal cord was detected within the superficial laminae of the dorsal horn, which indicates that these channels play an important role in the spinal processing of pain. After morphine tolerance, the expression of both the channels in the superficial laminae was significantly higher than control animals. However, morphine+nimodipine administration produced a differential effect, that is, the expression of L-VSCC decreased while that of N-VSCC increased. The study shows that the expression of these channels is plastic and subject to change depending upon the drug administered. This in turn can determine overall responsiveness to morphine. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available