Anti-Hyperalgesic Efficacy of Acetyl L-Carnitine (ALCAR) Against Visceral Pain Induced by Colitis: Involvement of Glia in the Enteric and Central Nervous System

The management of abdominal pain in patients affected by inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) still represents a problem because of the lack of effective treatments. Acetyl L-carnitine (ALCAR) has proved useful in the treatment of different types of chronic pain with excellent tolerability. The presen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of molecular sciences 2023-10, Vol.24 (19), p.14841
Main Authors: Lucarini, Elena, Micheli, Laura, Toti, Alessandra, Ciampi, Clara, Margiotta, Francesco, Di Cesare Mannelli, Lorenzo, Ghelardini, Carla
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abdomen
acetyl L-carnitine
Analysis
Animals
astrocyte
Care and treatment
Chronic pain
Colitis
Colon
Drug therapy
enteric glia
enteric neuron
Gastrointestinal diseases
Inflammatory bowel disease
Levocarnitine
Metabolism
Nervous system
Neurons
Pain
visceral pain
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Summary:The management of abdominal pain in patients affected by inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) still represents a problem because of the lack of effective treatments. Acetyl L-carnitine (ALCAR) has proved useful in the treatment of different types of chronic pain with excellent tolerability. The present work aimed at evaluating the anti-hyperalgesic efficacy of ALCAR in a model of persistent visceral pain associated with colitis induced by 2,4-dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (DNBS) injection. Two different protocols were applied. In the preventive protocol, ALCAR was administered daily starting 14 days to 24 h before the delivery of DNBS. In the interventive protocol, ALCAR was daily administered starting the same day of DNBS injection, and the treatment was continued for 14 days. In both cases, ALCAR significantly reduced the establishment of visceral hyperalgesia in DNBS-treated animals, though the interventive protocol showed a greater efficacy than the preventive one. The interventive protocol partially reduced colon damage in rats, counteracting enteric glia and spinal astrocyte activation resulting from colitis, as analyzed by immunofluorescence. On the other hand, the preventive protocol effectively protected enteric neurons from the inflammatory insult. These findings suggest the putative usefulness of ALCAR as a food supplement for patients suffering from IBDs.
ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms241914841