Analgesic Efficacy and Mode of Action of a Selective Small Molecule Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptor Antagonist in a Rat Model of Prostate Cancer-Induced Bone Pain

Objective The pathobiology of prostate cancer (PCa)-induced bone pain (PCIBP) has both inflammatory and neuropathic components. Previously, we showed that small molecule angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R) antagonists with >1,000-fold selectivity over the angiotensin II type 1 receptor produced dose-dependent analgesia in a rat model of neuropathic pain. Here, we assessed the analgesic efficacy and mode of action of the AT2R antagonist, EMA200, in a rat model of PCIBP. Methods At 14–21 days after unilateral intratibial injection of AT3B PCa cells, rats exhibiting hindpaw hypersensitivity received single intravenous bolus doses of EMA200 (0.3–10 mg/kg) or vehicle, and analgesic efficacy was assessed. The mode of action was investigated using immunohistochemical, Western blot, and/or molecular biological methods in lumbar dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) removed from drug-naive and EMA200-treated PCIBP rats relative to sham-control rats. Results Intravenous bolus doses of EMA200 produced dose-dependent analgesia in PCIBP rats. Lumbar DRG levels of angiotensin II, nerve growth factor (NGF), tyrosine kinase A (TrkA), phospho-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and phospho-p44/p42 MAPK, but not the AT2R, were increased significantly ( P < 0.05) in PCIBP rats, c.f. the corresponding levels for sham controls. EMA200 produced analgesia in PCIBP rats by reducing elevated angiotensin II levels in the lumbar DRGs to attenuate augmented angiotensin II/AT2R signaling. This in turn reduced augmented NGF/TrkA signaling in the lumbar DRGs. The net result was inhibition of p38 MAPK and p44/p42 MAPK activation. Conclusion Small molecule AT2R antagonists are worthy of further investigation as novel analgesics for relief of intractable PCIBP and other pain types where hyperalgesia worsens symptoms.