Systematic analysis of critical genes and pathways identified a signature of neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) damages sensory systems, producing chronic neuropathic pain that is resistant to medical treatment. The specific mechanisms underlying SCI-induced neuropathic pain (SCI-NP) remain unclear, and protein biomarkers have not yet been integrated into diagnostic screening. To better understand the host molecular pathways involved in SCI-NP, we used the bioinformatics method, the PubMed database and bioinformatics methods to identify target genes and their associated pathways. We reviewed 2504 articles on the regulation of SCI-NP and used the text mining of PubMed database abstracts to determine associations among 12 pathways and networks. Based on this method, we identified two central genes in SCI-NP: interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to build the SCI-NP models. The threshold for paw withdrawal was significantly reduced in the SCI group, and TLR4 was activated in microglia after SCI. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA) analysis of TNF-α and IL-6 levels was significantly higher in the SCI group than in the sham group. Western blot showed that expressions of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB inflammatory pathway protein increased dramatically in the SCI group. Using the TLR4 inhibitor TAK-242, the pain threshold and expressions of inflammatory factors and proteins of the proteins of the inflammatory signal pathway were reversed, TLR4 in microglia was suppressed, suggesting that SCI-NP was related to neuroinflammation mediated by the TLR4 signalling pathway. In conclusion, we found that TNF-α and IL-6 were the neuroinflammation-related genes involved in SCI-NP that can be alleviated by inhibiting the inflammatory pathway upstream of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB inflammatory pathway.