RESEARCH ARTICLE

Investigating the inhibition of NMDA glutamate receptors in the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala on the pain and inflammation induced by formalin in male Wistar rats

  • Nima Heidary 1 ,
  • Hedayat Sahraei 2 ,
  • Mohammad Reza Afarinesh 3 ,
  • Zahra Bahari 4 ,
  • Gholam Hossein Meftahi , 2
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  • 1. Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
  • 2. Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • 3. Kerman Cognitive Research Center and Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmachology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
  • 4. Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Received date: 19 Feb 2018

Accepted date: 02 Apr 2018

Published date: 28 May 2018

Copyright

2018 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The role of the amygdala in controlling emotional pain has been emphasized in several studies. In this study, the role of the NMDA glutamate receptors in the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) in regulating inflammation and emotional pain, induced by formalin, was studied in male rats.

METHODS: Male Wistar rats, weighing 250±20 g, were injected with 20 µL of 2% formalin into the paw of the right hind limb. Memantine, at doses of 1 and 5 mg/rat, was injected bilaterally into the BLA five minutes prior to injecting formalin. Following the injection, the pain and inflammation of the paws were measured using Dubbison-Dennis and mercury immersion methods, respectively. The behavior of the animals, including licking time and foot volume, was assessed.

RESULTS: The results showed that the inactivation of the NMDA receptors in the BLA in the acute phase of pain reduced the licking time (the emotional aspect of pain). However, at a high dose (5 µg/rat), memantine exacerbates the pain induced by formalin in the chronic phase. Additionally, the inhibition of the NMDA receptors in the BLA by memantine enhanced the formalin-induced increase in foot volume (inflammation) in a dose-dependent manner.

CONCLUSION: The study showed that the NMDA glutamate receptors in the BLA are crucial for the emotional pain and inflammation in both chronic and acute phases of formalin-induced pain. However, their roles are more pronounced in the chronic phase than in the acute phase of pain.

Cite this article

Nima Heidary , Hedayat Sahraei , Mohammad Reza Afarinesh , Zahra Bahari , Gholam Hossein Meftahi . Investigating the inhibition of NMDA glutamate receptors in the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala on the pain and inflammation induced by formalin in male Wistar rats[J]. Frontiers in Biology, 2018 , 13(2) : 149 -155 . DOI: 10.1007/s11515-018-1491-5

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Neuroscience Sciences Research Center at Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Compliance with ethics guidelines

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
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