Intravenous Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor Administration Can Attenuate Neuropathic Pain Following Spinal Cord Injury in Male Rats

Peripheral neuropathy, regularly expressed as hypersensitivity to painful stimuli, is between the most common complications of spinal cord injury (SCI) that develops in up to 40% of patients and appears to be persistent. Previous studies have demonstrated neuroprotective effects of Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) on neuropathic pains. We aimed to investigate the antihyperalgesic effect of G-CSF on neuropathic pains following SCI in male rats. Twenty four adult male rats (weight 300–350g) were used. After laminectomy, complete SCI was performed by compression of the spinal cord for 1 minute with an aneurysm clip. Within 30 minutes after the surgery, 200 µg/kg G-CSF was injected intravenously in G-CSF treated groups and then was repeated in 3 consecutive days. Tail flick latency (TFL), acetone drop test scores, BBB test scores, and Von-Frey filament test were performed before surgery and once a week after surgery. Rats in G-CSF treated group showed significantly higher mean TFL, and lower mean score of acetone test compared with those in SCI뷨 group 4 weeks after surgery (P