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Suppression of inflammatory and neuropathic pain symptoms in mice lacking the N‐type Ca 2+ channel
Author(s) -
Saegusa Hironao,
Kurihara Takashi,
Zong Shuqin,
Kazuno Ana,
Matsuda Yoshihiro,
aka Takahiro,
Han Wenhua,
Toriyama Hideyuki,
Tanabe Tsutomu
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1093/emboj/20.10.2349
Subject(s) - biology , neuropathic pain , inflammation , calcium channel , medicine , pharmacology , immunology , calcium
The importance of voltage‐dependent Ca 2+ channels (VDCCs) in pain transmission has been noticed gradually, as several VDCC blockers have been shown to be effective in inhibiting this process. In particular, the N‐type VDCC has attracted attention, because inhibitors of this channel are effective in various aspects of pain‐related phenomena. To understand the genuine contribution of the N‐type VDCC to the pain transmission system, we generated mice deficient in this channel by gene targeting. We report here that mice lacking N‐type VDCCs show suppressed responses to a painful stimulus that induces inflammation and show markedly reduced symptoms of neuropathic pain, which is caused by nerve injury and is known to be difficult to treat by currently available therapeutic methods. This finding clearly demonstrates that the N‐type VDCC is essential for development of neuropathic pain and, therefore, controlling the activity of this channel can be of great importance for the management of neuropathic pain.