Analysis of pain markers and epidural fibrosis caused by repeated spinal surgery in Sprague–Dawley rats

BACKGROUND: Epidural fibrosis is one of the aetiologies of pain following a spinal revision surgery. It is reported that the specific members of the mitogen – activated protein kinases (MAPK) family might mediate neuropathic pain. However, roles of epidural fibrosis caused by repeated spinal surgeries and pain-related proteins in causing the post spinal surgery syndrome remain unknown. Using a rat spinal surgery epidural fibrosis and adhesion model, in this study, we evaluated and investigated the relationship between pain markers and epidural fibrosis. METHODS: Sprague–Dawley rats that underwent the spinal surgery were divided into three groups: group A (single laminectomy), group B (two repeated surgeries) and group C (three repeated surgeries). Dural thickness was measured in each experimental group, and immunohistochemical analysis and western blotting of mitogen-activated protein kinases were performed (ERK, p38 and JNK) using the spine cord. RESULTS: Dural thickness was 6.363 ± 1.911 μm in group A, 13.238 ± 2.123 μm in group B and 19.4 ± 2.115 μm in group C, respectively. In the western blotting, phosphorylated ERK expression gradually increased with the number of repeated surgeries, and expression in groups B (1.77-fold) and C (2.42-fold) increased as compared to expression in group A. Phosphorylated p38 showed an increasing trend with the number of repeated surgeries, and groups B (1.17-fold) and C (1.33-fold) expression increased compared with group A. However, phosphorylated JNK expression did not gradually increase with the number of repeated surgeries, and groups B (1.62-fold) and C (1.43-fold) expression increased compared with group A. Excluding phosphorylated JNK, immunohistochemical analysis revealed that phosphorylated ERK and p38 expression gradually increased with the number of repeated surgeries in the spine dorsal horn, as evidenced by western blotting. CONCLUSIONS: Repeated spinal surgeries may increase dural thickness and expression of phosphorylated ERK and p38 in the spinal dorsal horn, and it suggests that the neuropathic pain is likely induced by epidural fibrosis and that the pain increases with the number of repeated surgeries. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12891-020-03920-z.