FTY720 Attenuates Neuropathic Pain after Spinal Cord Injury by Decreasing Systemic and Local Inflammation in a Rat Spinal Cord Compression Model

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can lead to neuropathic pain, which negatively impacts rehabilitation and quality of life. This study investigates the potential of FTY720, a drug known to protect against neuronal injury, to alleviate neuropathic pain in rats with SCI. The study found that FTY720 treatment significantly reduced neuropathic pain in rats with SCI. This was accompanied by a decrease in both systemic and local inflammation. Researchers observed that FTY720 helped preserve the connectivity of the descending inhibitory pathway, which plays a crucial role in pain regulation, and reduced glial scar formation, suggesting a multi-faceted approach to pain relief.

• 1
  FTY720 significantly attenuated post-traumatic neuropathic pain in a rat model of spinal cord injury.
• 2
  The treatment decreased both systemic and local inflammation, leading to reduced damage and astrogliosis, and improved motor functional recovery.
• 3
  FTY720 preserved the mu-opioid receptor (MOR) and modulated hydroxytryptamine transporter (HTT) expression in the spinal dorsal horn, suggesting a role in preserving the descending inhibitory pathway.