Rufinamide attenuates mechanical allodynia in a model of neuropathic pain in the mouse and stabilizes voltage-gated sodium channel inactivated state

Suter, Marc R.; Kirschmann, Guylène; Laedermann, Cedric J.; Abriel, Hugues; Decosterd, Isabelle (2012). Rufinamide attenuates mechanical allodynia in a model of neuropathic pain in the mouse and stabilizes voltage-gated sodium channel inactivated state. Anesthesiology, 118(1), pp. 160-172. Hagerstown, Md.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 10.1097/ALN.0b013e318278cade

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Background: Voltage-gated sodium channels dysregulation is important for hyperexcitability leading to pain persistence. Sodium channel blockers currently used to treat neuropathic pain are poorly tolerated. Getting new molecules to clinical use is laborious. We here propose a drug already marketed as anticonvulsant, rufinamide.
Methods: We compared the behavioral effect of rufinamide to amitriptyline using the Spared Nerve Injury neuropathic pain model in mice. We compared the effect of rufinamide on sodium currents using in vitro patch clamp in cells expressing the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.7 isoform and on dissociated dorsal root ganglion neurons to amitriptyline and mexiletine.
Results: In naive mice, amitriptyline (20 mg/kg) increased withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimulation from 1.3 (0.6–1.9) (median [95% CI]) to 2.3 g (2.2–2.5) and latency of withdrawal to heat stimulation from 13.1 (10.4–15.5) to 30.0 s (21.8–31.9), whereas rufinamide had no effect. Rufinamide and amitriptyline alleviated injury-induced mechanical allodynia for 4 h (maximal effect: 0.10 ± 0.03 g (mean ± SD) to 1.99 ± 0.26 g for rufinamide and 0.25 ± 0.22 g to 1.92 ± 0.85 g for amitriptyline). All drugs reduced peak current and stabilized the inactivated state of voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.7, with similar effects in dorsal root ganglion neurons.
Conclusions: At doses alleviating neuropathic pain, amitriptyline showed alteration of behavioral response possibly related to either alteration of basal pain sensitivity or sedative effect or both. Side-effects and drug tolerance/compliance are major problems with drugs such as amitriptyline. Rufinamide seems to have a better tolerability profile and could be a new alternative to explore for the treatment of neuropathic pain.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > BioMedical Research (DBMR) > DBMR Forschung Mu35 > Forschungsgruppe Ionenkanalkrankheiten
04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > BioMedical Research (DBMR) > DBMR Forschung Mu35 > Forschungsgruppe Ionenkanalkrankheiten

UniBE Contributor:

Abriel, Hugues

ISSN:

0003-3022

Publisher:

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Funders:

[4] Swiss National Science Foundation

Projects:

[12] In vivo relevance of the PY and PDZ-domain binding motifs of the cardiac sodium channel Nav1.5 Official URL

Language:

English

Submitter:

Factscience Import

Date Deposited:

04 Oct 2013 14:37

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:11

Publisher DOI:

10.1097/ALN.0b013e318278cade

PubMed ID:

23221868

Web of Science ID:

000312536800022

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/14940 (FactScience: 222083)

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