TITLE:
Extracellular Levels of 5HT and 5HIAA Increase after an Inflammatory Process in the Rat’s Insular Cortex
AUTHORS:
Ulises Coffeen, Ana Canseco-Alba, Karina Simón-Arceo, Francisco Mercado, Angélica Almanza, Orlando Jaimes, Francisco Pellicer
KEYWORDS:
Pain, Inflammation, Insular Cortex, 5HT, 5HIAA
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Neuroscience,
Vol.6 No.1,
February
14,
2016
ABSTRACT: Serotonin (5HT) in the
central nervous system has been associated with pain processing and modulation.
The insular cortex (IC) plays an important role in the development and
perception of the inflammatory and chronic pain. The role of the serotoninergic
system in IC has not been completely studied. We used micro-dialysis in freely
moving rats to determine the extracellular release of 5HT and its main metabolite
(5HIAA) in the IC during an inflammatory process. Results showed an increase of
extracellular levels of 5HT and 5HIAA in the IC during carrageenan-induced
inflammation and this augmentation correlates with a decrease of behavioral mechanonociceptive response.
Furthermore, the exogenous administration of 5HT and 5HIAA in the IC increases
the nociceptive response. Our current data imply that the serotoninergic system
in the IC participates in the long-term pain process.