A single intravenous injection of KRN5500 (antibiotic spicamycin) produces long-term decreases in multiple sensory hypersensitivities in neuropathic pain.

L A Kobierski, S Abdi, L DiLorenzo, N Feroz, D Borsook

Department of Radiology, Center for Functional Pain Neuroimaging and Therapy Research, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, USA.

Anesthesia and analgesia 2003 Jul

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Neuropathic pain is a significant clinical problem. Currently, there are no drugs that produce complete amelioration of this type of pain. We have previously shown that KRN5500, a derivative of the antibiotic spicamycin, produces a prolonged (7-day), and significant reduction in neuropathic pain, but not nociceptive pain. Herein, we provide further evidence for the efficacy of this drug in inhibiting pain after IV injection in a spared nerve injury model of neuropathic pain. A single IV dose of the drug produces an increase in pain thresholds to punctuate mechanical stimuli and to cold stimuli over a period of 7 days, whereas IV injection of the vehicle is without any effect. No change in pain threshold was observed in the contralateral foot. In addition, a significant antiallodynic effect to mechanical stimuli was observed at 1, 2, 4, and 6 wk. The drug may be a potential candidate for cancer-related neuropathic pain as well as a marker for discovery of effective analgesics for neuropathic pain. We examined the effect of a novel drug (KRN5500) on nerve damage pain. After the successful effects of this drug in a single human, we have shown that the drug infused as a single application at different doses in a rat model of nerve damage pain produces pain relief in this model for many weeks.

Citation

L A Kobierski, S Abdi, L DiLorenzo, N Feroz, D Borsook. A single intravenous injection of KRN5500 (antibiotic spicamycin) produces long-term decreases in multiple sensory hypersensitivities in neuropathic pain. Anesthesia and analgesia. 2003 Jul;97(1):174-82, table of contents