Abstract
We evaluated the mechanisms underlying the oxytocin (OXT)-induced analgesic effect on orofacial neuropathic pain following infraorbital nerve injury (IONI). IONI was established through tight ligation of one-third of the infraorbital nerve thickness. Subsequently, the head withdrawal threshold for mechanical stimulation (MHWT) of the whisker pad skin was measured using a von Frey filament. Trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons innervating the whisker pad skin were identified using a retrograde labeling technique. OXT receptor-immunoreactive (IR), transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1)-IR, and TRPV4-IR TG neurons innervating the whisker pad skin were examined on post-IONI day 5. The MHWT remarkably decreased from post-IONI day 1 onward. OXT application to the nerve-injured site attenuated the decrease in MHWT from day 5 onward. TRPV1 or TRPV4 antagonism significantly suppressed the decrement of MHWT following IONI. OXT receptors were expressed in the uninjured and Fluoro-Gold (FG)-labeled TG neurons. Furthermore, there was an increase in the number of FG-labeled TRPV1-IR and TRPV4-IR TG neurons, which was inhibited by administering OXT. This inhibition was suppressed by co-administration with an OXT receptor antagonist. These findings suggest that OXT application inhibits the increase in TRPV1-IR and TRPV4-IR TG neurons innervating the whisker pad skin, which attenuates post-IONI orofacial mechanical allodynia.