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Suppression of the descending inhibitory pathway by continuous thoracic intrathecal lidocaine infusion reduces the thermal threshold of the tail-flick response in rats

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Abstract

Purpose

For the suppression of descending inhibitory pathways in animals, single-dose lidocaine blockade is reversible and causes less damage than chronic spinal cord injury, decerebration, and cold blockade of the spinal cord. However, single-dose blockade has a variable onset and is relatively short-lived. To surmount these disadvantages, we devised a continuous thoracic intrathecal lidocaine infusion and evaluated its effects in rats.

Methods

Rats were administered continuous intrathecal infusions of 0, 0.25%, 0.5%, and 1% lidocaine at 10 &gml·h−1 following a 10-&gml bolus. The effects of the continuous thoracic blockade on tail-flick (TF) latency (estimated by the percent maximum possible effect [%MPE]) and on the release of neurotransmitters in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were evaluated.

Results

Continuous thoracic blockade with 0.5% and 1% lidocaine infusion reversibly shortened TF latency (%MPE, −22.0 ± 11.0 % and −21.2 ± 4.6 %, respectively, versus baseline; P < 0.05) during drug infusion. Compared with normal saline, thoracic intrathecal infusion of lidocaine significantly lowered norepinephrine and serotonin concentrations in the CSF at 1 h of infusion (P = 0.02 for both).

Conclusion

Continuous thoracic blockade by local anesthetic resulted in reversible suppression of descending inhibitory pathways for varying durations. Such blockade may provide further information regarding nociceptive transmission and the mechanisms of antinociception in animals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, Kinki University School of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan

    Yoshihiro Takasugi, Tatsushige Iwamoto, Masaki Fuyuta & Yoshihisa Koga

  2. Department of Pharmacology, Kinki University School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan

    Masaki Tabuchi & Hideaki Higashino

Authors
  1. Yoshihiro Takasugi
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  2. Tatsushige Iwamoto
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  3. Masaki Fuyuta
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  4. Yoshihisa Koga
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  5. Masaki Tabuchi
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  6. Hideaki Higashino
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Takasugi, Y., Iwamoto, T., Fuyuta, M. et al. Suppression of the descending inhibitory pathway by continuous thoracic intrathecal lidocaine infusion reduces the thermal threshold of the tail-flick response in rats. J Anesth 23, 399–402 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-009-0767-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-009-0767-y

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