ACE Inhibitors: A New Target for Neuropathic Pain

This book describes some basic techniques of neuropathic pain. We have investigated the role of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) on chronic constriction injury (CCI) of sciatic nerve induced neuropathic pain. The neuropathic pain was induced by four loose ligation of right sciatic nerve in mice. The battery of behavioral tests i.e., plantar, acetone drop, pin prick, tail flick, tail pinch and rota rod tests were performed to assess the degree of thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia in ipsilateral paw & tail and motor in-coordination activity respectively. In addition, the biochemical tests i.e., total protein, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were also performed in the sciatic nerve tissue sample. The administration of ramipril significantly attenuated CCI induced rise in peripheral as well as central pain sensitivity along with impairment of motor in-coordination activity. Further, it also produces the ameliorative effect on CCI induced rise in TBARS and decrease in GSH levels when compared to a normal control group. Hence, it may be concluded that, ACEi may be a potential new target for the management of neuropathic pain.