Fig. 5.

Effect of the selective knockdown of NMDAR subunits in the DRG on the mechanical hyperalgesia induced by i.pl. administration of PGE₂. AS-ODNs specific for each NMDAR subunit were administered, in different groups of rats, for five consecutive days into the L5-DRG (20 μg/5 μL). On the fifth day, after the injection of the ODNs, PGE₂ (100 ng) was administered s.c. in the plantar surface of the rat hind paw, and, 3 h later, the mechanical threshold was evaluated by the electronic von Frey test. Significant attenuation of the PGE₂-induced hyperalgesia was observed in the groups treated with AS-ODN (filled bars) for the subunits NR1, NR2B, NR2D, and NR3A. Results represent the means ± SEM of five paws per group. *P < 0.001 compared with respective missense-ODN groups (open bars) (one-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni posttest).