Abstract: The mechanisms of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) are complicated and still eludes explanation. In this study, a surgery-related animal model in rat was used to search the metabolites on the transition from acute to chronic pain, aiming to identify the potential biomarkers associated postsurgical pain. GC-MS-based metabolomics technique were performed to investigate the different metabolites between acute to chronic postsurgical pain. It showed that 224 metabolites were screened, while 35 of which were significant difference (VIP>1,P<0.05,∣log₂FC∣ ≥ 2). These metabolites were mainly involved in 45 metabolic pathways through pathway enrichment analysis. The results showed that metabolites such as N-acetylaspartic acid, aspartic acid, pantothenic acid, beta-alanine, 3-hydroxybutyric acid and alanine/aspartate/glutamate metabolism,β-alanine metabolism, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, regulating sugar metabolic pathways are closely related with the transition from acute to chronic pain. To dissertate the key substances of the transition of acute pain changed into chronic pain can not only help us to understand underlying mechanisms of CPSP, but also provide a new insight and method for recognizing and managing postsurgical pain.

Key words: acute postsurgical pain, chronic postsurgical pain, transition, key substance