Background
Increased pain sensitivity is observed following alcohol withdrawal, and attempts to alleviate this hyperalgesia can contribute to the cycle of addiction. The
Conclusions
Heightened pain sensitivity was observed following withdrawal from chronic ethanol exposure, and histone deacetylase inhibitors could be novel treatments for this alcohol withdrawal-induced hyperalgesia.
Methods
Adult male Sprague Dawley rats received Lieber-DeCarli liquid control or ethanol (9% v/v) diet for 15 days. Mechanical sensitivity was measured with von Frey hair stimulation of the hindpaw during ethanol administration and 24- and 72-hour withdrawal.
Results
Ethanol withdrawal produced severe and sustained mechanical hyperalgesia, an effect not observed in the control or ethanol-maintained groups. Furthermore, this hyperalgesia was attenuated by the histone deacetylase inhibitor, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid treatment. Conclusions: Heightened pain sensitivity was observed following withdrawal from chronic ethanol exposure, and histone deacetylase inhibitors could be novel treatments for this alcohol withdrawal-induced hyperalgesia.