Objective: To assess the receptors of TRPV1 and GABA_B1 receptors that were colocalized in cerebrospinal fluid contacting nucleus (CSF-contact nucleus) of chronic inflammatory pain (CIP) rats bringing inspiration for reducing chronic pain.
Methods: A rat model of CIP was constructed by plantar injection of complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA), and the paw withdrawal mechanical threshold (PWMT) and paw withdrawal thermal latency (PWTL) were measured 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 14 days after plantar injection. In the first part of the experiment, rats with CIP were divided into the immunofluorescence group and the coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) group (n = 6). Rats in the immunofluorescence group were injected with the retrograde tracer CB conjugated with Alexa Fluor 594 into the lateral ventricle two days before the injection of CFA into the plantar surface of the left paw. Three days later, rats that exhibited hyperalgesia were perfused, and their brains were extracted and used for double immunofluorescence staining of the CSF-contacting nucleus. Rats in the Co-IP group were anesthetized and dissected 3 days after CFA injection, and fresh brain segments containing the CSF-contacting nucleus were collected for Co-IP to assess the colocalization of TRPV1 and GABA_B1 in the CSF-contacting nucleus (n = 6). In the second part of the experiment, SD rats were divided into the normal saline group (control group) and the CFA group. Fresh CSF-contacting nucleus-containing tissues were collected for Western blot analysis 3 days after plantar injection to observe the changes in TRPV1 and GABA_B1 expression in the CSF-contacting nucleus.
Results: TRPV1 and GABA_B1 were co-expressed in the CSF-contacting nucleus in rats with CIP, and their expression was upregulated.
Conclusion: TRPV1 and GABA_B1 in the CSF-contacting nucleus are jointly involved in CIP in rats, and there is a direct or indirect link between TRPV1 and GABA_B1.
Keywords: cerebrospinal fluid-contacting nucleus, TRPV1 receptor, GABA_B1 receptor, chronic inflammatory pain