Increase of preprotachykinin mRNA in the uninjured mandibular neurons after rat infraorbital nerve transection.

An increasing number of studies are suggesting that the adjacent uninjured primary afferents contribute to the mechanisms of neuropathic pain following peripheral nerve injury. In this study, we report that transection of the infraorbital nerve, a major branch of the maxillary nerve, causes exaggerated face grooming to normally innocuous mechanical stimuli in the skin territory of the uninjured mandibular nerve, and increases the expression of preprotachykinin mRNA in the primary afferent neurons in the mandibular zone in the trigeminal ganglia. Considering the various functions of substance P in the sensory transmission process, the increase in preprotachykinin mRNA in the uninjured primary afferent neurons may be one of the mechanisms of pain-related behavior in this neuropathic pain model.