This study tested the hypothesis that antinociceptive effects of galanin and its receptors in nucleus accumbens (NAc) of rats with inflammatory pain provoked by subcutaneous injection of 0.1 ml of 2% carrageenin into the sole of the rat's left hindpaw. The hindpaw withdrawal latencies (HWLs) in response to thermal and mechanical stimulation significantly decreased in bilateral hindpaws at 3 and 4 hour after a subcutaneous injection of carrageenin. However intra-NAc injection of 2 and 3 nmol, but not 1 nmol of galanin markedly induced an increase in the HWLs in a dose-dependent way. Western blot also showed, that the expression of galanin receptor 1 (GalR1) and galanin receptor 2 (GalR2) were significantly upregulated in NAc at 3 hour after a subcutaneous injection of carrageenin. In addition, the rats were intra-NAc injected galanin, 5 min later following by intra-NAc injection of galanin receptor antagonist galantide, the galanin-induce antinociceptive effects were suppressed by galantide. The results demonstrated that galanin and its receptors might be involved in antinociception in the NAc of rats with inflammatory pain.
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