Caffeine prevents antihyperalgesic effect of gabapentin in an animal model of CRPS-I: evidence for the involvement of spinal adenosine A1 receptor.

This study was designed to determine whether 3 weeks of gabapentin treatment is effective in alleviating neuropathic pain-like behavior in animal models of complex regional pain syndrome type-I and partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSNL). We investigated the contribution of adenosine subtypes to the antihyperalgesic effect of gabapentin by examining the effect of caffeine, a non-selective adenosine A1 and A2 receptor antagonist or 1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine (DPCPX), a selective adenosine A1 subtype receptor antagonist on this effect. Neuropathic pain was produced by unilateral prolonged hind paw ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) or PSNL procedures which resulted in stimulus-evoked mechanical hyperalgesia.