Analgesic Effect of Transplanted Adrenal Medullary Chromaffin Cells in Rats Spinal Cord.

Baek,  Woon Yi; Jeon,  Young Hoon; Mun,  Cheol Won; Han,  Chang Gyu; Kim,  Yu Mi; Lim,  Jeong Ok

doi:2001.41.4.490

Experimental Research Article

Korean Journal of Anesthesiology 2001;41(4):490-494.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.2001.41.4.490

Analgesic Effect of Transplanted Adrenal Medullary Chromaffin Cells in Rats Spinal Cord.

Woon Yi Baek, Young Hoon Jeon, Cheol Won Mun, Chang Gyu Han, Yu Mi Kim, Jeong Ok Lim

¹Departments of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.
²Departments of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.
³Departments of Medical Research Institute, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Despite of numerous researches on the mechanisms and new therapeutic methods of chronic pain, patients are still suffering even with the help of opioids. In recent years, however, with the development of molecular-biology cell transplantation gives us a new chance for treating intractable chronic pain. The major purpose of the present study was to determine if the chromaffin cells have robust analgesic effects in the spinal atlanto-occipital subarachnoid space even without nicotine stimulation.
METHODS
In order to determine whether cultured bovine adrenal medullary chromaffin cells transplanted in the spinal cord can produce analgesic effects, we purified adrenal medullary chromaffin cells and implanted them into the subarachnoid space of rats' (n = 10) spinal cord without immunosuppression, and investigated the hot sensitivity of rats' hind-paw by a light-beam test.
RESULTS
It was found that compared with the control group, hot response latency of the group which received adrenal medullary chromaffin cells had increased at 14 days and the analgesic efficacy was maintained for at least 3 months.
CONCLUSIONS
Adrenal medullary chromaffin cells transplanted in the rats' spinal cord may provide a permanent and locally available source of neuropeptides for the relief of intractable pain. Furthermore, these kinds of analgesic effect even produced without any stimulation such as nicotine.

Key Words: rats spinal cord; analgesic effects; bovine adrenal medullary chromaffin cells