evaluation of the gabaa receptor expression and the effects of muscimol on the activity of wide dynamic range neurons following chronic constriction injury of sciatic nerve in rats

Introduction: the modality of γ-aminobutyric acid type a receptors (gabaa) controls dorsalhorn neuronal excitability and inhibits sensory information. this study aimed to investigate theexpression of the gabaa receptor and the effects of its agonist muscimol on wide dynamic range(wdr) neuronal activity in the chronic constriction injury (cci) model of neuropathic pain.methods: adult male wistar rats weighing 200 to 250 g were used to induce cci neuropathy.fourteen days after surgery, muscimol (0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg ip) was injected. then, thebehavioral tests were performed. after that, the animals were killed, and the lumbar segmentsof the spinal cords were collected for western blot analysis of the gabaa receptor α1 subunitexpression. the electrophysiological properties of wdr neurons were studied by single-unitrecordings in separate groups 14 days after cci.results: the outcomes indicated the development of thermal hyperalgesia and mechanicalallodynia after neuropathy; nonetheless, the expression of the gabaa receptor α1 subunitdid not change significantly. moreover, the evoked responses of the wdr neurons toelectrical, mechanical, and thermal stimuli increased considerably. fourteen days after cci,muscimol administration decreased thermal hyperalgesia, mechanical allodynia, and hyperresponsivenessof the wdr neurons in cci rats.conclusion: the modulation of the spinal gabaa receptors after nerve injury can offerfurther insights to design new therapeutic agents to reduce neuropathic pain symptoms.