Inhibition of P2X7R in the amygdala ameliorates symptoms of neuropathic pain after spared nerve injury in rats

The amygdala circuitry and P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) have both been shown to play important roles in the modulation of neuropathic pain (NP). However, little is known about the functional role of P2X7R in the amygdala for the regulation of NP. This study aims to evaluate the alleviative effect of intra-amygdala microinfusion of a pharmacological antagonist of P2X7R (A-438079) on NP and explore its possible mechanism of action. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to construct the animal model of NP through spared nerve injury (SNI). The SNI rats randomly received chronic bilateral microinjection of A-438079 (100 pmol/side) or saline into the amygdalae via cannulas. Mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal duration (TWD) were measured by von Frey monofilaments. Besides, tail suspension test (TST), forced swimming test (FST), open field test (OFT) and sucrose preference test (SPT) were performed to assess depression- and anxiety-like behaviors. Immunofluorescence assay was employed to determine the levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (IBA-1) and connexin 43 (Cx43) in the spinal cord. In addition, the change of growth associated protein 43 (GAP43) level in the spinal cord was assessed by Western blot. Our data showed that chronic treatment with A-438079 increased MWT and decreased TWD on days 11–21 post-SNI while decreased depression-like and anxiety-like behaviors. A-438079 administration significantly attenuated the elevated immunoreactivities of IBA-1 and GFAP in microglia and astrocytes after SNI. Furthermore, the decreased expression of GAP-43 in the spinal cord due to SNI was significantly attenuated by A-438079. However, when A-438079 and a pharmacological agonist (BzATP) of P2X7R were given simultaneously, all the effects caused by A-438079 alone were reversed. In brief, our study revealed the protective role of inhibiting P2X7R in the amygdala against symptoms associated with NP, possibly attributing to its inhibitory effects on spinal microglia and astrocytes.