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Bee venom (BV) has traditionally been used in Oriental medicine to relieve pain and to treat inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). While several investigators have evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of BV treatment, the anti-nociceptive effect of BV treatment on inflammatory pain has not been examined. Previous studies in experimental animals suggest that the therapeutic effect of BV on arthritis is dependent on the site of administration. Because of this potential site sp

Immunocytochemical localization of the c-fos primary gene protein, Fos, was used to identify spinal cord and brain-stem sites activated by either 4-Hz or 100-Hz electroacupuncture (EA) applied to the Zusanli acupuncture points of both hind limbs in lightly anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats. The number and distribution of Fos-immunoreactive neurons in the brain stem and spinal cord of 4-Hz and 100-Hz EA-treated rats were compared with these in anesthesia and room control rats. Compared to non-stim

Although previous reports have suggested that the sigma 1 (sigma(1)) receptor may be involved in pain sensation, its specific site of action has not been elucidated. The aim of present study was to determine the role of the spinal sigma(1) receptor in formalin-induced pain behavior, spinal cord Fos expression and phosphorylation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit 1 (pNR1). Intrathecal (i.t.) pretreatment with the selective sigma(1) receptor antagonist, BD-1047 (N-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)eth

Although the injection of bee venom (BV) has been reported to evoke tonic pain and hyperalgesia, there is conflicting evidence in the literature indicating that BV can also exert an anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects on inflammation. In this regard, BV has been traditionally used in Oriental medicine to relieve pain and to treat chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that BV induces acute nociception under norm

Immunocytochemical localization of Fos protein was used to analyze the involvement of nitric oxide (NO) in the expression of Fos in the spinal cord, induced by mechanical noxious stimulation (NS). Mechanical NS was applied to the left hindpaw 30 minutes after intrathecal administration of the NO synthase inhibitor, N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and the resulting Fos expression in the spinal cord dorsal horn was compared with that obtained in rats exposed only to the mechanical N

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE We recently demonstrated that activation of the spinal sigma-1 receptor induces mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity via calcium-dependent second messenger cascades and phosphorylation of the spinal NMDA receptor GluN1 subunit (pGluN1). Here we examined the role of NO in this process, as it plays a critical role in PKC-mediated calcium signalling and the potentiation of NMDA receptor function. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH The effects of intrathecal (i.t.) pretreatment with nNO