The elucidation of molecular mechanism for the physiologically active substance in the brain induced by pain stress using transgenic animal model

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25462391
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Orthopaedic surgery
• Research Institution: University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan
• Principal Investigator: KAWASAKI Makoto 産業医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (40644860)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): UETA Yoichi 産業医科大学, 医学部医学科, 教授 (10232745)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): SAKAI Akinori 産業医科大学, 医学部医学科, 教授 (90248576) ; MORI Toshiharu 産業医科大学, 医学部医学科, 講師 (80525444) ; Sabanai Ken 産業医科大学, 医学部医学科, 助教 (70644863) ; HASHIMOTO Hirofumi 産業医科大学, 医学部医学科, 准教授 (10454935)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: オキシトシンによる疼痛調整作用 / 急性炎症ストレス / 慢性炎症ストレス / トランスジェニックラット / 神経内分泌 / 関節リウマチ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Oxytocin (OXT) as one of neurohypophysial hormones is suggested to play an important role in pain modulation. OXT binding sites, as well as OXT receptor expression are located in the dorsal horn of spinal cord in rats. A population of parvocellular OXTergic neurons of the paraventricular nucleus project to the spinal cord. However, little is known about the neuronal networks responsible for OXT effects. In the present study, using OXT-monomeric red fluorescent protein 1 (mRFP1) transgenic rats, we examined the response to acute (by formalin test) and chronic (by induced adjuvant arthritis) nociception in rat models. The OXT-mRFP1 expression in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), posterior pituitary and spinal cord were significantly increased in acute and chronic nociceptive models in rats. The results suggest that OXT expression was up-regulated by acute and chronic inflammatory stress, and also that OXT in the PVN-spinal pathway may be involved in pain sensory modulation.

Free Research Field

整形外科学