These results indicate that the absence of the NOP receptor protects males from traumatic-stress-induced allodynia and hyperalgesia, consistent with our previous findings utilizing a NOP receptor antagonist.
Our findings suggest that the spinal NOP receptor system attenuates injury-induced hyperalgesia by direct inhibition of the projection neurons in the spinal cord that send nociceptive signals to the brain and not by inhibiting presynaptic terminals of DRG neurons in the superficial lamina.
Nocistatin and prepro-nociceptin/orphanin FQ 160-187 cause nociception through activation of Gi/o in capsaicin-sensitive and of Gs in capsaicin-insensitive nociceptors, respectively.
Simultaneous administration of nocistatin blocked the allodynia and hyperalgesia induced by Noc/OFQ, whereas anti-nocistatin antibody decreased the threshold for the Noc/OFQ-induced allodynia.