A pharmacological rat model of recurrent pelvic pain exhibiting hyperalgesia and depression-like behaviors.

Overview

1. Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
2. Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
3. Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China

Abstract

Primary dysmenorrhea (PDM) involves recurrent pelvic pain (RPP), alongside menstruation and psychological comorbidity, yet existing models inadequately capture its recurrent nature. In this study, we established a pharmacologically induced rat model of RPP, using estradiol benzoate and oxytocin over six 4-day cycles. The RPP model produced robust and sustained writhing responses, with writhing latency dropping from 30 to 4 min (p < 0.001) and scores rising to 88.30 (p = 0.002), alongside persistent hyperalgesia (reduced mechanical and thermal thresholds, p < 0.05). Depression-like behaviors were observed as longer immobility time (p = 0.032) and decreased sucrose preference (p = 0.012). Reduced serotonin with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) overexpression was identified in the dorsal root ganglia and serum, along with metabolomic dysregulation of amino acid and arachidonic acid pathways. While not replicating full human PDM pathophysiology, this model captures core features of RPP and affective comorbidity, providing a translational platform for mechanistic and therapeutic research.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

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Metabolomics data have been deposited at MetaboLights and are publicly available as of the date of publication. Accession number is listed in the key resources table. All data reported in this paper are available from the lead contact upon request.

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Any additional information required to reanalyze the data reported in this paper is available from the lead contact upon request.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

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Version 1, 30 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 7 authors, 4 keywords, 1 funder, 36 references, 9 RRIDs.

Cite

This paper

Yang, X., Qin, Y., Zhao, Q., Zhao, H., Ding, Y., Liu, B., & Zhou, H. (2026). A pharmacological rat model of recurrent pelvic pain exhibiting hyperalgesia and depression-like behaviors. iScience, 29(4), 115059. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2026.115059

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