Gastrodin relieved complete Freund's adjuvant-induced spontaneous pain by inhibiting inflammatory response

The analgesic effects of gastrodin (GAS), an active component derived from the Chinese herb Tian ma (Gastrodia elate Blume), on chronic inflammatory pain of mice and the involved molecular mechanisms were investigated. GAS significantly attenuated mice chronic inflammatory pain induced by hindpaw injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) and the accompanying anxiety-like behaviors. GAS administration reduced CFA-induced up regulation of GluR1-containing alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors, GIuN2A- and GluN2B-containing N-methyl-o-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II-alpha (CaMKII-alpha) in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). The GluN2A and GluN2B subunits of NMDA receptors, the GluR1 type of AMPA receptor, and CaMKII-alpha are key molecules responsible for neuroplasticity involved in chronic pain and the accompanying anxiety. Moreover, GAS administration reduced the activation of astrocyte and microglia and the induction of TNF-alpha and IL-6 in the ACC of the CFA-injected mice. Therefore, GAS administration relieved chronic pain, exerted anxiolytic effects by regulating neuroplasticity molecules, and attenuated the inflammatory response by reducing the induction of TNF-alpha and IL-6 in the ACC of the CFA-injected mice. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.