1 research outputs found
Radiocaine: An Imaging Marker of Neuropathic Injury
Voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) play
a crucial
electrical signaling role in neurons. Nav-isoforms present
in peripheral sensory neurons and dorsal root ganglia of the spinal
cord are critically involved in pain perception and transmission.
While these isoforms, particularly Nav1.7, are implicated
in neuropathic pain disorders, changes in the functional state and
expression levels of these channels have not been extensively studied
in vivo. Radiocaine, a fluorine-18 radiotracer based on the local
anesthetic lidocaine, a non-selective Nav blocker, has
previously been used for cardiac Nav1.5 imaging using positron-emission
tomography (PET). In the present study, we used Radiocaine to visualize
changes in neuronal Nav expression after neuropathic injury.
In rats that underwent unilateral spinal nerve ligation, PET/MR imaging
demonstrated significantly higher uptake of Radiocaine into the injured
sciatic nerve, as compared to the uninjured sciatic nerve, for up
to 32 days post-surgery. Radiocaine, due to its high translational
potential, may serve as a novel diagnostic tool for neuropathic pain
conditions using PET imaging