AI Article Synopsis
- Crotoxin (Cro), a neurotoxin from the Crotalus durissus terrificus snake, was found to reduce pain-related neuron activity in a rat study, indicating potential analgesic effects.
- The study used microelectrodes to measure the effects of different doses of Cro on neuronal discharge in the thalamic parafascicular nucleus, revealing a significant decrease in discharge frequency and duration with higher doses.
- The pain-inhibiting effects of Cro were diminished when the serotonergic system was disrupted, suggesting that its analgesic properties are at least partly mediated through serotonin pathways.
Article Abstract
Crotoxin (Cro), the principal neurotoxic component of Crotalus durissus terrificus, has been previously reported to have a behavioral analgesic effect in rats and mice. The present study investigated electrophysiologically the effect of Cro on pain-evoked unit discharge of neurons in thalamic parafascicular nucleus (Pf) and underlying mechanisms of its effect. The electrical discharge of Pf neurons was recorded with the microelectrode technique in rats. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of Cro at 0.25, 0.45 and 0.65 microg/kg resulted in a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the pain-evoked discharge of Pf neurons. The discharge frequency and the discharge duration significantly (P<0.05) decreased after Cro administration. This inhibitory effect was significantly (P<0.05) attenuated after pretreatment with para-chlorophenylalanine (pCPA), or electrolytic lesion of dorsal raphe (DR) nucleus. In contrast, i.c.v. injection of atropine (muscarinic receptor antagonist, 5 microg) or naloxone (opioid receptor antagonist, 4 microg) had no effect on Cro-induced inhibition of discharge of Pf neurons. The results suggested that Cro has an analgesic effect, which is mediated, at least partially, by the central serotonergic system.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2007.08.009 | DOI Listing |
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