Papers of the Week

Orexin-A is known to induce anti-nociceptive effects in animal models of chronic pain. We have found that orexin-A inhibits KCl loading-induced increases in the intracellular calcium ion levels ([Ca ] ) in C-fiber-like neurons of rats showing inflammatory nociceptive behavior. Here, we examined the effects of orexin-A on the depolarization of C-fiber-like neurons derived from a rat model for another type of chronic pain, namely neuropathic pain. Thus, we analyzed the effects of orexin-A on KCl-induced increases in [Ca ] in C-fiber-like neurons of rats with sciatic nerve ligation.