Endogenous noradrenergic tone controls symptoms of allodynia in the spinal nerve ligation model of neuropathic pain

Endogenous inhibitory controls were studied in the spinal nerve ligation model of neuropathic pain. Atipamezole, a selective alpha(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist, produced both mechanical and cold allodynia in those rats which had not developed clear neuropathic symptoms, The same doses (50 mu g i.t, or 1 mg/kg s.c.) did not increase the severity of symptoms in rats which had developed them. The opioid receptor antagonist naloxone (20 mu g i.t. or 1 mg/kg s.c.) had no effect on the neuropathic symptoms. These results indicate that mechanical and cold allodynia are under endogenous noradrenergic rather than opioidergic control in this model of neuropathic pain. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.