AUTHOR=Zhang Xiao-Long , Cao Xian-Ying , Lai Ren-Chun , Xie Man-Xiu , Zeng Wei-An 

TITLE=Puerarin Relieves Paclitaxel-Induced Neuropathic Pain: The Role of Nav1.8 β1 Subunit of Sensory Neurons

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2018.01510

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2018.01510

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=<p>Currently there is no effective treatment available for clinical patients suffering from neuropathic pain induced by chemotherapy paclitaxel. Puerarin is a major isoflavonoid extracted from the Chinese medical herb kudzu root, which has been used for treatment of cardiovascular disorders and brain injury. Here, we found that puerarin dose-dependently alleviated paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain. At the same time, puerarin preferentially reduced the excitability and blocked the voltage-gated sodium (Na<sub>v</sub>) channels of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons from paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain rats. Furthermore, puerarin was a more potent blocker of tetrodotoxin-resistant (TTX-R) Na<sub>v</sub> channels than of tetrodotoxin-sensitive (TTX-S) Na<sub>v</sub> channels in chronic pain rats’ DRG neurons. In addition, puerarin had a stronger blocking effect on Na<sub>v</sub>1.8 channels in DRG neurons of neuropathic pain rats and β1 subunit siRNA can abolish this selective blocking effect on Na<sub>v</sub>1.8. Together, these results suggested that puerarin may preferentially block β1 subunit of Na<sub>v</sub>1.8 in sensory neurons contributed to its anti-paclitaxel induced neuropathic pain effect.</p>