Evaluation of gabapentin effect in glial cells after chronic muscle injury

• Grant number: 14/19262-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2015
• End date: December 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Anatomy
• Principal Investigator: Marucia Chacur
• Grantee: Alyne Santana Rosa
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 15/03245-0 - Involvement of microglia in circadian system, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

Chronic musculoskeletal disorders are a public health problem because of its high prevalence, its high economic cost and its negative impact in quality of life of patients and their families. In front of its great clinical relevance and because it is difficult to treat, researchers have studied muscle lesions in animals to better understanding of this nociceptive process. Our researches are focused in the area of pain /nociception and in the last years we have studied experimental models of neuropathic and muscular injury. Injuring the gastrocnemius muscle of rats as experimental models, our study aims to evaluate the nociceptive sensitivity and possible changes in the glial cells of the spinal cord and the dorsal root ganglia of rats with chronic myositis induced by Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) after pharmacological treatment with gabapentin intrathecal - an anticonvulsant also used as an analgesic in cases of neuropathic pain and recently in cases of nociception models caused by inflammation. Thus, this study will contribute to then existing knowledge about chronic musculoskeletal pain and its relation to glial cells, and especially, expand the therapeutic alternatives for this kind of pain through treatment with gabapentin. (AU)