Hyperalgesic change over the craniofacial area following urate crystal injection into the rabbit's temporomandibular joint

The aim of this investigation was to study the characteristics of hyperalgesia and inflammatory change in the craniofacial area following the production of an acute arthritis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in the rabbit. Unilateral arthritis was produced by the injection of monosodium urate (MSU) into the TMJ of the rabbits. Hyperalgesia was evaluated by the reduction in the threshold of the head-withdrawal response to pressure stimulation, and inflammatory change was determined by the quantitative Evans-blue test and light-microscopic examination of histological sections. Several hours after an injection of MSU (0.15, 0.5, 1.5 mg), hyperalgesic changes were observed over not only the MSU-administered condyle, but also over the ipsilateral masseter muscle and temporal muscle in a dose dependent manner, and lasted for more than 24 h before gradual recovery. The other craniofacial region showed no significant threshold-reduction. Although a very intense inflammatory sign was found in the region of the MSU-treated TMJ, a decreased or negative sign was found in the masseter muscle with a very low threshold. Local block of the TMJ using Bupivacaine® suggested that the hyperalgesic change in the masseteric region was partly due to prolonged excitation of TMJ afferents.