Dynamic effects of TNF-α on synaptic transmission in mice over time following sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury

Nerve injury-induced central sensitization can manifest as an increase in excitatory synaptic transmission and/or as a decrease in inhibitory synaptic transmission in spinal dorsal horn neurons. Cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) are induced in the spinal cord under various injury conditions and contribute to neuropathic pain. In this study we examined the effect of TNF-α in modulating excitatory and inhibitory synaptic input to spinal substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons over time in mice following chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve. Whole cell patch-clamp studies from SG neurons showed that TNF-α enhanced overall excitability of the spinal cord early in time following nerve injury 3 days after CCI compared with that in sham control mice. In contrast, the effects of TNF were blunted 14 days after CCI in nerve-injured mice compared with sham surgery mice. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the expression of TNF-α receptor 1 (TNFR1) was increased at 3 days but decreased at 14 days following CCI in the ipsilateral vs. the contralateral spinal cord dorsal horn. These results suggest that TNF-α acting at TNFR1 is important in the development of neuropathic pain by facilitating excitatory synaptic signaling in the acute phases after nerve injury but has a reduced effect on spinal neuron signaling in the later phases of nerve injury-induced pain. Failure of the facilatory effects of TNF-α on excitatory synaptic signaling in the dorsal horn to resolve following nerve injury may be an important component in the transition between acute and chronic pain conditions.