The Effect of Anakinra on Acrylamide-induced Peripheral Neuropathy and Neuropathic Pain in Rats

Abstract

Acrylamide is a neurotoxic compound. Moreover, anakinra is an interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor antagonist used in rheumatoid arthritis treatment. This study investigated the effect of anakinra on acrylamide-related neuropathy and neuropathic pain. Acrylamide exposure caused a significant decrease in the pain threshold; an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factoralpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) levels; and a decrease in total glutathione (tGSH) values in the sciatic nerve. This indicates hyperalgesia presence, oxidative stress, and peripheral nerve tissue inflammation. Anakinra treatment significantly reduced the MDA, IL-1β, and TNF-α levels, and increased the pain threshold and mean tGSH values. The analgesic effect of anakinra was 67.9% at the first hour, increasing to 74.9% and 76.7% at the second and third hours, respectively. The group receiving acrylamide exhibited histopathological changes (e.g., swollen and degenerated axons, hypertrophic and hyperplasic Schwann cells, and congested vessels). The use of anakinra significantly improved these morphological changes. Anakinra is concluded to reduce neuropathic pain and prevent neurotoxic effect of acrylamide on peripheral nerves due to its analgesic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Effect of Anakinra (Kineret^®) treatment on acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity in mice

“…Additionally, acrylamide exposure has been associated with an increase in the degeneration of noradrenergic axons in the cortex and prefrontal cortex (PFC) regions of the mouse brain (Davuljigari et al, 2021;Ekuban et al, 2021). According to a recent study by Ersoy et al (2022), intraperitoneal administration with Anakinra at 50 mg/kg body weight has been shown to reduce neuropathic pain and prevent the neurotoxic effects of acrylamide on peripheral nerves. This is believed to be due to the analgesic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties of Anakinra.…”