Patch Clamp Analysis of Opioid-Induced Kir3 Currents in Mouse Peripheral Sensory Neurons Following Nerve Injury

Patch clamp is an electrophysiological technique that allows to analyze the activity of ion channels in neurons. In this chapter, we provide a detailed description of patch clamp protocol to measure the effect of a μ-opioid receptor agonist on the activity of G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK or Kir3) channels. This is performed in peripheral sensory neurons isolated from dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of mice without or with a chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve, which models neuropathic pain. We describe the induction of the CCI, isolation and culture of DRG neurons, performance of the patch clamp recordings, and identification of opioid-responding neurons.