Tropisetron attenuates neuroinflammation and chronic neuropathic pain via α7nAChR activation in the spinal cord in rats

This study investigates how tropisetron, a drug typically used to prevent nausea, can alleviate neuropathic pain in rats. Neuropathic pain is a chronic condition caused by nerve damage. The study focuses on tropisetron's potential to reduce neuroinflammation, which is inflammation in the nervous system that contributes to pain. The researchers explored whether tropisetron's pain-relieving effects are linked to its activation of α7nAChRs, a type of receptor in the nervous system. They used a rat model of neuropathic pain caused by nerve injury and examined how tropisetron affects pain sensitivity, inflammation, and related signaling pathways in the spinal cord. The study found that tropisetron reduced pain and inflammation in the rats. This effect seemed to be dependent on the activation of α7nAChRs, as blocking these receptors with another drug (MLA) reversed tropisetron's benefits. The findings suggest that tropisetron could be a potential treatment for chronic neuropathic pain by reducing inflammation in the spinal cord.

• 1
  Tropisetron effectively alleviated mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in rats with spared nerve injury (SNI).
• 2
  Tropisetron decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1ß, and TNF-α in the spinal cord of SNI rats.
• 3
  Tropisetron downregulated the phosphorylation of p38MAPK and CREB in the spinal cord, suggesting an inhibition of the p38MAPK-CREB pathway.