#198 A mechanistic approach to explore the neuroprotective potential of zonisamide in chronic constriction injury-induced animal model of neuropathy

Abstract

Currently, the epidemiological data showed that almost 6.9% to 10% of individuals suffer from neuropathic pain. Presently, diagnosis of neuropathic pain is done based upon history, physical examination, and category of pain. Due to difficulty in doing a clinical screening of a huge number of populations and an undeveloped gold standard for screening methods, neuropathic pain is considered a heterogenic medical condition. Peripheral neuropathy is a hallmark of chronic neuronal disease becoming challenging to treat. Currently, the antiepileptic agents are employed as first-line agents for its treatment, so the present work was undertaken to explore the beneficial uses of zonisamide against chronic constriction injury in rats. After the development of peripheral neuropathy by chronic constriction injury (CCI) around the sciatic nerve, rats were treated with intraperitoneal administration of zonisamide 40 mg/kg/day for two weeks. At the end of the study, the hallmark parameters like allodynia, hyperalgesia, oxidative stress parameters, and inflammatory markers were evaluated. The post-surgery two weeks (14 days) treatment with Zonisamide significantly attenuated the CCI-induced allodynia and hyperalgesia, modulated oxidative stress, and decreased level of inflammatory markers. This study protocol suggests that Zonisamide attenuated the CCI-induced sciatic nerve dysfunction, probably mediated through its antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective actions.