Bone Grafts Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Bone Grafts, including details on spine fusion, surgery, procedure, risks.

Anti-TNF-alpha antibody reduces pain-behavioral changes induced by epidural application of nucleus pulposus in a rat model depending on the timing of administration.

Sasaki N, Kikuchi S, Konno S, Sekiguchi M, Watanabe K

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima City, Fukushima, Japan. non@fmu.ac.jp

STUDY DESIGN: An experimental animal study. OBJECTIVE: To study if antitumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) antibody, which is administered at different times, reduces the pain behavior induced by application of nucleus pulposus (NP) to the nerve root. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Treatment with TNF-alpha inhibitor reduces the pain-related behavior induced by epidural application of NP in rats. METHODS: Left L5 partial laminectomy was performed and NP was applied to the L5 nerve root in 24 rats. The rats were divided into 4 groups. In 3 groups, anti-rat TNF-alpha antibody was intravenously administered immediately after, or 6 or 20 days after NP application. The fourth group was not treated with anti-rat TNF-alpha antibody (untreated rats). The withdrawal threshold of the plantar surface was determined 1 day before up through 28 days after NP application. RESULTS: The withdrawal threshold of rats that had been treated with anti-rat TNF-alpha antibody immediately after or 6 days after, but not 20 days after, NP application, was significantly higher than that of the untreated rats. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-TNF-alpha antibody reduced allodynia only when it was administered soon after the onset of allodynia. Late administration of anti-TNF-alpha antibody did not have an antiallodynic effect.

Published 16 February 2007 in Spine, 32(4): 413-6.
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