Korean J Anesthesiol.  2013 Nov;65(5):442-448. 10.4097/kjae.2013.65.5.442.

Antiallodynic effects of vitamin C and vitamin E in chronic post-ischemia pain rat model

• Park JM
• Kim CK
• Lee HC
• Jung H
• Choi KU
• Hong SW
• Lim DG
• Baek WY
• Kwak KH

• KMID: 2299417
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.2013.65.5.442

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Recent research has shown that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a significant role in the development and persistence of neuropathic pain through central sensitization via N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation. In the present study, we examined whether the intraperitoneal administration of vitamins C and E alone or together could alleviate mechanical allodynia in a chronic post-ischemia pain (CPIP) rat model.
METHODS
Vitamins C and E were administered intraperitoneally to 48 male Sprague Dawley rats once per day for 3 days before hindpaw ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury was induced. On the third day, the CPIP rat model was produced by inducing ischemia in the left hindpaw by applying an O-ring for 3 h, followed by reperfusion. Three days after reperfusion, hindpaw mechanical allodynia was assessed by measuring the withdrawal response to von Frey filament stimulation. The rats were sacrificed immediately after behavioral testing to determine the phosphorylated NMDA receptor subunit 1 (pNR1) and extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (pERK) levels in the spinal cord.
RESULTS
When the antioxidant vitamins C and E were administered intraperitoneally to CPIP rats, I/R injury-induced mechanical allodynia was attenuated, and pNR1 and pERK levels were decreased in the rat spinal cord. Additionally, the co-administration of both vitamins had an increased antiallodynic effect.
CONCLUSIONS
The reduced phosphorylated NR1 and ERK levels indicate that vitamins C and E inhibit the modulation of spinal cord neuropathic pain processing. Co-administration of vitamins C and E had a greater antiallodynic effect.

Keyword

Antioxidants; Complex regional pain syndromes; Mitogen-activated protein kinases; N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors; Reperfusion injury; Vitamins

MeSH Terms

Animals
Antioxidants
Ascorbic Acid*
Central Nervous System Sensitization
Complex Regional Pain Syndromes
Humans
Hyperalgesia
Inositol Phosphates
Ischemia
Male
Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
Models, Animal*
N-Methylaspartate
Neuralgia
Phosphotransferases
Prostaglandins E
Rats*
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Reactive Oxygen Species
Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate
Reperfusion
Reperfusion Injury
Spinal Cord
Vitamin E*
Vitamins*
Antioxidants
Ascorbic Acid
Inositol Phosphates
Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
N-Methylaspartate
Phosphotransferases
Prostaglandins E
Reactive Oxygen Species
Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate
Vitamin E
Vitamins