Elevated level of the proinflammatory chemokine, RANTES/CCL5, in the periaqueductal grey causes hyperalgesia in rats

  • Eur J Pharmacol. 2008 Sep 11;592(1-3):93-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2008.07.009.
Khalid Benamar  1 ,  Ellen B Geller ,  Martin W Adler
Affiliations
  • 1. Center for Substance Abuse Research (CSAR), Temple University School of Medicine, 3400 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA. [email protected]
PMID: 18656466 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2008.07.009
Abstract

The present data provide the first in vivo evidence that the proinflammatory chemokine, Regulated on Activation Normal T cell Expressed and Secreted (RANTES/CCL5) microinjected directly into the periaqueductal grey in rats, a brain region critical to the processing of Pain signals, and a primary site of action of many analgesic compounds, induced hyperalgesia. Pretreatment with antibodies against RANTES/CCL5 prevented the hyperalgesic response, indicating that RANTES/CCL5 is able to interfere with the control of hyperalgesia at the level of the periaqueductal grey and suggesting that chemokine blockers could have analgesic properties.

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