Effects of Early Exposure to Isoflurane on Susceptibility to Chronic Pain Are Mediated by Increased Neural Activity Due to Actions of the Mammalian Target of the Rapamycin Pathway

Early-life surgery may increase the risk of neuropathic pain later in life. This study used mice to investigate whether early exposure to the general anesthetic Isoflurane could increase the risk of neuropathic pain. Isoflurane exposure enhanced susceptibility to chronic pain, and rapamycin treatment improved outcomes. The study found that early isoflurane exposure enhanced sensitivity for mechanical and thermal stimuli in a chronic pain model. Isoflurane exposure increases mTOR expression and neural activity in DSC and DRG, which are key elements of the pain-processing circuitry. The results suggest that early postnatal exposure to isoflurane renders mice susceptible to worsened outcomes in the SNI model of chronic neuropathic pain. The mTOR signaling pathway and related molecules in pain circuitry are involved in this alteration.

• 1
  Early isoflurane exposure enhances sensitivity for mechanical and thermal stimuli in a chronic pain model caused by SNI.
• 2
  Isoflurane exposure increases mTOR expression and neural activity in DSC and DRG, which are key elements of the pain-processing circuitry.
• 3
  Inhibition of the mTOR signal pathway with rapamycin treatment substantially ameliorates the susceptibility to pain stimuli and reverses the effects on neural activity.