Abstract:
Neuropathic pain is complex, and a satisfactory therapeutic method of treatment has yet to be developed; therefore, finding a new and effective therapeutic method is an important issue in the field of neuropathic pain. To determine the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on pain-related behaviours and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression in a rat model of neuropathic pain. Forty male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups (eight rats per group) including control, sham operation, sciatic nerve with chronic constriction injury (CCI), HBO pretreatment (pre-HBO) and HBO post-treatment (post-HBO) groups. Pain-related behaviours and NOS expression in the spinal cord were compared among the five groups. Compared with the CCI group, the mechanical withdrawal threshold was significantly increased and thermal withdrawal latency was significantly extended in the pre-HBO and post-HBO groups (all P<0.05). After CCI, expression of spinal neuronal NOS and inducible NOS were increased. Expression of spinal neuronal NOS and inducible NOS were significantly decreased in the pre-HBO and post-HBO groups compared with the CCI group (all P<0.05). Spinal eNOS expression changed very little. Han, Li, Meng, , , , , , (). Effects of hyperbaric oxygen on pain-related behaviors and nitric oxide synthase in a rat model of neuropathic pain. Pain research & management, ;18(3):137-41. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23748254