Role of hydrogen sulfide in orofacial allodynia modulation in an experimental model of arterial hypertension

Abstract

In the dentistry field, orofacial pain has received large attention of the international scientific community because of its high prevalence and of a relatively lack of efficient therapeutics. Available data indicate that nociceptive modulation can be affected by the cardiovascular system. Accordingly, there are neurotrasmitters and neuropeptides involved not only in nociception control but also in the control of the cardiovascular system. Hypertension is considered a major cardiovascular condition, being a silent disease characterized by the maintenance of high arterial pressure levels which is observed in a large number of humans worldwide. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been considered a promising new strategy for the treatment of hypertension, since it is known this gas affects peripheral resistance, besides playing a role as an anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive molecule. Interestingly, H2S endogenous production is reduced in spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR). Thus, the present proposal has the objetive,with the knowledge of the importance of hydrogen sulfide in the orofacial pain response and the low production of H2S in SHR rats, to understand the orofacial pain response in SHR rats and the mechanisms enrolled in it with focus on the H2S orofacial pain modulation in hypertensive rats.