The role of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the lateral hypothalamus (LH) in the modulation of formalin-induced nociception is well documented individually. The present study aimed to investigate the role of dopamine receptors of the VTA in the modulation of the LH stimulation-induced antinociception during both phases of the formalin test as an animal model of tonic pain. In this study, male Wistar rats were unilaterally implanted with two guide cannulae in the VTA and LH. In two separate groups, animals received different doses (0.25, 1, and 4 μg/rat) of D1- or D2-like dopamine receptor antagonists (SCH-23,390 or Sulpiride, respectively) into the VTA before intra-LH injection of carbachol (22.83 ng/rat) following formalin injection (50 μL; s.c.) into their contralateral hind paws. The blockade of these two receptors reduced intra-LH carbachol-induced antinociception during both phases of the formalin test. This reduction during the late phase of the formalin test was more than that of the early phase. The results indicated that LH stimulation-induced antinociception was mediated by D1- and D2-like dopamine receptors in the VTA, and so, the neural pathway projecting from the LH to the VTA contributes to the modulation of formalin-induced nociception in the rats.
Keywords: D1-like dopamine receptor; D2-like dopamine receptor; Formalin test; Lateral hypothalamus; Pain; Ventral tegmental area.
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