Involvement of capsaicin-sensitive fibers in spinal NMDA-induced glutamate release

The activation of spinal NMDA receptors can evoke glutamate release through the production of nitric oxide (NO) within the spinal cord, resulting in pain-relating behavior. In this study, we investigated the involvement of capsaicin-sensitive primary afferents in this phenomenon using in vivo intrathecal microdialysis. Intrathecal NMDA perfusion evoked increases in the concentrations of NO metabolises and glutamate and in pain-related behavior in both neonatal capsaicin and vehicle-treated rats. Although the degrees of increase in NO metabolises in capsaicin- and vehicle-treated rats were not significantly different, capsaicin-treated rats showed significantly smaller increases in glutamate concentration and pain-related behavior than did vehicle-treated rats. Our results showed that glutamate release from capsaicin-sensitive primary afferent terminals is involved in spinal NMDA-induced pain.