Over the last few years, ANS Biotech has developed a relevant preclinical model of pruritus designed to accelerate early-stage research.
The pruritus model is based on the use of a chemical stimulus. Intradermal injection of serotonin to the neck of the rat produces an itching behavior for about 60 minutes after the injection. This itching implies a spontaneous behavior of scraping the injected area. Scoring of the time spent scraping the neck with hindpaws during a 45 min-period is used to quantify serotonin-induced pruritus.
Pruritus, also known as itch, is defined as an unpleasant sensation that elicits the desire or reflex to scratch. Itch manifests in both acute and chronic forms. Acute itch is easily relieved by scratching. By contrast, chronic itch remains a challenge in the clinic as it arises from diseases of the skin or from diseases of the central or peripheral nervous system such as brain tumors, peripheral neuropathy or nerve compression. Similar to pain, the itch sensation is mediated by nociceptive neurons that transmit information from the periphery to the central nervous system. Because of the similarities between pain and itch sensations, itch has been historically considered a submodality of pain.
