Abstract
The relieving role of dezocine in pain after surgery was previously reported, while the potential mechanism was not completely clear. Therefore, the current research probed into the regulatory mechanism of dezocine in pain after surgery. A postoperative pain model was established by performing plantar incision surgery on the juvenile Sprague–Dawley rats. After the rats were treated with dezocine or SC79 (Akt1 activator), the paw withdrawal threshold and paw withdrawal latency of rats were detected to evaluate the mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. After the plantar tissue, dorsal root ganglions, and spinal cord of rats were collected, the expressions of Akt1, p-Akt1, GSK-3β, and p-GSK-3β in the tissues were determined by western blot to evaluate the activation state of the Akt1/GSK-3β pathway. After surgery, the paw withdrawal threshold and paw withdrawal latency of rats were lessened, whereas the ratios of p-Akt1/Akt1 and p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β were augmented in rat plantar tissue, dorsal root ganglions, and spinal cord. After treatment with dezocine alone, the paw withdrawal threshold and paw withdrawal latency of postoperative rats were elevated, but ratios of p-Akt1/Akt1 and p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β were reduced. After co-treatment with dezocine and SC79, SC79 reversed the effects of dezocine on elevating the paw withdrawal threshold and paw withdrawal latency, and reducing the ratios of p-Akt1/Akt1 and p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β in postoperative rats. Dezocine ameliorated the postoperative hyperalgesia in rats via repressing the hyper-action of Akt1/GSK-3β pathway.
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This work was supported by Project of Shanghai Baoshan Science and Technology Commission [No: 16-E-5].
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Substantial contributions to conception and design: WG. Data acquisition, data analysis and interpretation: BX, LL, SL. Drafting the article or critically revising it for important intellectual content: WG. Final approval of the version to be published: All authors. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved: All authors.
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All experiments involving the animal were conducted in the light of the Guidelines of the China Council on Animal Care and Use and authorized by the Committee of Experimental Animals of Wusong Hospital (Z2020061232S). Every effort was made to minimize the pain of animals during experiments. All experiments were conducted in Wusong Hospital.
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Gong, WY., Xu, B., Liu, L. et al. Dezocine relieves the postoperative hyperalgesia in rats through suppressing the hyper-action of Akt1/GSK-3β pathway. Exp Brain Res 240, 1435–1444 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-022-06341-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-022-06341-7