SUMMARY
OBJECTIVE
The study aims to explore the relationship between preoperative anxiety and chronic postoperative pain.
METHODS
A total of forty rats were divided into four groups, control, single-prolonged stress alone, Hysterectomy alone, and SPS+ Hysterectomy. The paw withdrawal mechanical thresholds (PWMT) were examined. qRT-PCR and western blotting assay were performed to detect the GFAP expression in astrocytes isolated from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) region. In addition, the long-term potentiation (LTP) in ACC was examined.
RESULTS
Rats in the SPS group or the Hysterectomy alone group had no significant effect on chronic pain formation, but SPS can significantly induce chronic pain after surgery. Astrocytes were still active, and the LTP was significantly increased three days after modeling in the SPS+Hysterectomy group.
CONCLUSIONS
anxiety can induce chronic pain by activating astrocytes in the ACC region.
Ansiedade; Pain, postoperative; Astrocytes
The PWMT of rats in each group were examined before modeling and every three days after it for three weeks. n=10
Astrocytes were isolated from the ACC region, and the expression of GFAP was detected by Westernport. B. The protein expression level was normalized to actin. C. The expression of GFAP was further confirmed by RT-PCR. n=5. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01. Data are presented as mean ± SEM.
A. Synaptic potentiation of EPSCs in the ACC of SPS+Hysterectomy rats was compared with that in the control, SPS, and Hysterectomy rats. B. Summarized data of EPSC amplitude 30 min after LTP induction in the ACC slices of rats. n=5. *P < 0.05. Data are presented as mean ± SEM.