AI Article Synopsis

  • The study evaluated the pain-relieving effects of levetiracetam, an antiepileptic drug, in rat models of acute and neuropathic pain.
  • Compared to morphine, both levetiracetam and carbamazepine showed limited effects in pain tests, with levetiracetam slightly increasing pain thresholds only at a high dose.
  • In models of chronic nerve injury and diabetic pain, levetiracetam demonstrated significant pain relief, indicating its potential for treating neuropathic pain in humans.

Article Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess, in rats, the antinociceptive effects of levetiracetam (i.p.), a novel antiepileptic drug, in acute pain tests and in two models of human neuropathic pain. Levetiracetam and carbamazepine contrasted morphine by an absence of effect in the tail flick and hot plate tests. In normal rats, carbamazepine failed to modify the vocalisation thresholds to paw pressure whereas levetiracetam slightly increased this threshold only at the highest dose (540 mg/kg) for 30 min. In the sciatic nerve with chronic constriction injury model, the highest dose of levetiracetam (540 mg/kg) and carbamazepine (30 mg/kg) reversed the hyperalgesia. In streptozocin-induced diabetic rats, levetiracetam dose-dependently increased the vocalization threshold from 17 to 120 mg/kg reaching a similar effect as 10 mg/kg of carbamazepine. These results indicate that levetiracetam induces an antihyperalgesic effect in two models of human neuropathic pain, suggesting a therapeutic potential in neuropathic pain patients.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0014-2999(03)01933-2DOI Listing

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