期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：2003
卷号：100
期号：10
页码：6204-6209
DOI：10.1073/pnas.0930324100
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：To develop a genetic approach for the treatment of pain, we introduced a recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vector containing the cDNA for the {micro}-opioid receptor ({micro}OR) into primary afferent neurons in dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) of rats, which resulted in a long-lasting (>6 months) increase in {micro}OR expression in DRG neurons. The increase greatly potentiated the antinociceptive effects of morphine in rAAV-{micro}OR-infected rats with and without inflammation. Perforated patch recordings indicated that the efficacy and potency of opioid inhibition of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels were enhanced in infected neurons, which may underlie the increase in opiate efficacy. These data suggest that transfer of opioid receptor genes into DRG cells with rAAV vectors may offer a new therapeutic strategy for pain management.
