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Wu PY, Caceres AI, Chen J, Sokoloff J, Huang M, Baht GS, Nackley AG, Jordt SE, Terrando N. Vagus nerve stimulation rescues persistent pain following orthopedic surgery in adult mice. Pain 2024; 165:e80-e92. [PMID: 38422485 PMCID: PMC11247455 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Postoperative pain is a major clinical problem imposing a significant burden on patients and society. In a survey 2 years after orthopedic surgery, 57% of patients reported persisting postoperative pain. However, only limited progress has been made in the development of safe and effective therapies to prevent the onset and chronification of pain after orthopedic surgery. We established a tibial fracture mouse model that recapitulates clinically relevant orthopedic trauma surgery, which causes changes in neuropeptide levels in dorsal root ganglia and sustained neuroinflammation in the spinal cord. Here, we monitored extended pain behavior in this model, observing chronic bilateral hindpaw mechanical allodynia in both male and female C57BL/6J mice that persisted for >3 months after surgery. We also tested the analgesic effects of a novel, minimally invasive, bioelectronic approach to percutaneously stimulate the vagus nerve (termed percutaneous vagus nerve stimulation [pVNS]). Weekly pVNS treatment for 30 minutes at 10 Hz for 3 weeks after the surgery strongly reduced pain behaviors compared with untreated controls. Percutaneous vagus nerve stimulation also improved locomotor coordination and accelerated bone healing. In the dorsal root ganglia, vagal stimulation inhibited the activation of glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive satellite cells but without affecting microglial activation. Overall, these data provide novel evidence supportive of the use of pVNS to prevent postoperative pain and inform translational studies to test antinociceptive effects of bioelectronic medicine in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pau Yen Wu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Translational Pain Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Ana Isabel Caceres
- Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Translational Pain Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Jiegen Chen
- Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Translational Pain Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Jamie Sokoloff
- Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Translational Pain Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Mingjian Huang
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Gurpreet Singh Baht
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Andrea G. Nackley
- Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Translational Pain Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Sven-Eric Jordt
- Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Translational Pain Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
- Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program, Duke University, Durham, United States
| | - Niccolò Terrando
- Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Translational Pain Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Integrative Immunobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
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Mack D, Yevugah A, Renner K, Burrell BD. Serotonin mediates stress-like effects on responses to non-nociceptive stimuli in Hirudo. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:275639. [PMID: 35510636 PMCID: PMC9234501 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Noxious stimuli can elicit stress in animals that produce a variety of adaptations including changes in responses to nociceptive and non-nociceptive sensory input. One example is stress-induced analgesia that may be mediated, in part, by the endocannabinoid system. However, endocannabinoids can also have pro-nociceptive effects. In this study, the effects of electroshock, one experimental approach for producing acute stress, were examined on responses to non-nociceptive mechanical stimuli and nociceptive thermal stimuli in the medicinal leech (Hirudo verbana). The electroshock stimuli did not alter the leeches’ responses to nociceptive stimuli, but did cause sensitization to non-nociceptive stimuli, characterized by a reduction in response threshold. These experiments were repeated with drugs that either blocked synthesis of the endocannabinoid transmitter 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) or transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channel, which is known to act as an endocannabinoid receptor. Surprisingly, neither treatment had any effect on responses following electroshock. However, the electroshock stimuli reliably increased serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine or 5HT) levels in the H. verbana CNS. Injection of 5HT mimicked the effects of the electroshocks, sensitizing responses to non-nociceptive stimuli and having no effect on responses to nociceptive stimuli. Injections of the 5HT receptor antagonist methysergide reduced the sensitization effect to non-nociceptive stimuli after electroshock treatment. These results indicate that electroshocks enhance response to non-nociceptive stimuli but do not alter responses to nociceptive stimuli. Furthermore, while 5HT appears to play a critical role in this shock-induced sensitizing effect, the endocannabinoid system seems to have no effect. Summary: The role of serotonin and endocannabinoids in mediating the effects of potentially stress-inducing stimuli on Hirudo verbana’s response to nociceptive and non-nociceptive input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Mack
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, University of South Dakota, USA.,Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota, USA
| | | | - Kenneth Renner
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, USA.,Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota, USA
| | - Brian D Burrell
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, University of South Dakota, USA.,Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota, USA
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