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Periódicos Brasileiros em Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia

Antinociceptive effect of PnTx4(5-5), a peptide from Phoneutria nigriventer spider venom, in rat models and the involvement of glutamatergic system

Oliveira, Camila Franco BatistaAlves, Daniela PereiraEmerich, Bruna LuizaFigueiredo, Suely Gomes deCordeiro, Marta do NascimentoBorges, Márcia HelenaRichardson, MichaelPimenta, Adriano Monteiro de CastroDuarte, Igor Dimitri GamaLima, Maria Elena de

Background:The venom of Phoneutria nigriventer spider is a source of numerous bioactive substances, including some toxins active in insects. An example is PnTx4(5-5) that shows a high insecticidal activity and no apparent toxicity to mice, although it inhibited NMDA-evoked currents in rat hippocampal neurons. In this work the analgesic activity of PnTx4(5-5) (renamed Γ-ctenitoxin-Pn1a) was investigated.Methods:The antinociceptive activity was evaluated using the paw pressure test in rats, after hyperalgesia induction with intraplantar injection of carrageenan or prostaglandin E2 (PGE2).Results:PnTx4(5-5), subcutaneously injected, was able to reduce the hyperalgesia induced by PGE2 in rat paw, demonstrating a systemic effect. PnTx4(5-5) administered in the plantar surface of the paw caused a peripheral and dose-dependent antinociceptive effect on hyperalgesia induced by carrageenan or PGE2. The hyperalgesic effect observed in these two pain models was completely reversed with 5 µg of PnTx4(5-5). Intraplantar administration of L-glutamate induced hyperalgesic effect that was significantly reverted by 5 μg of PnTx4(5-5) injection in rat paw.Conclusion:The antinociceptive effect for PnTx4(5-5) was demonstrated against different rat pain models, i.e. induced by PGE2, carrageenan or glutamate. We suggest that the antinociceptive effect of PnTx4(5-5) may be related to an inhibitory activity on the glutamatergic system.(AU)

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