This article details a surgical procedure performed on an anesthetized rat to study orofacial pain. The focus is on the infraorbital nerve, which transmits signals from the face to the brain, and how its injury leads to neuropathic pain.
Begin with an anesthetized rat restrained on a surgical bench.
Apply an ointment to the eyes to prevent dryness.
Use retractors to open the mouth and retract the lip.
Next, make an incision between the dorsal gum and lip, and remove the soft tissue to expose a branch of the infraorbital nerve.
This nerve transmits the orofacial signals from the face and mouth to the brain.
Place two ligatures around the infraorbital nerve to constrict it, which results in nerve injury and axonal damage.
The injured nerve triggers the release of pro-inflammatory molecules by the immune cells. These molecules attract more immune cells and lead to an exaggerated immune response.
This increases the excitability of the damaged nerve and generates intense signals that travel to the brain. These intense signals are interpreted as neuropathic pain.
Apply an adhesive to close the wound. The rat is now ready for the orofacial pain assay.
Place the anesthetized rat on a surgical workbench and restrain it. Maintain the body temperature at 37 degrees Celsius using a heating pad. Apply ophthalmic ointment to the eyes to prevent them from drying out.
Use scalpel blade 15 to make a small incision between the dorsal gum and lip. Remove the soft tissue using the scalpel blade, and reveal the branch of the infraorbital nerves, or ION. With the help of a blunt bent syringe needle, place two 5-0 chromic gut ligatures around the ION. Then, close the wound using tissue adhesive.
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