Journal of neuroscience research
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Morphine differs from most opiates its poor ability to internalize μ opioid receptors (μORs). However, chronic treatment with morphine produces adaptational changes at the dynamin level, which enhance the efficiency of acute morphine stimulation to promote μOR internalization in enteric neurons. This study tested the effect of chronic treatment with fentanyl, a μOR-internalizing agonist, on ligand-induced endocytosis and the expression of the intracellular trafficking proteins, dynamin and β-arrestin, in enteric neurons using organotypic cultures of the guinea pig ileum. ⋯ Chronic fentanyl treatment did not alter dynamin or β-arrestin expression. These findings indicate that prolonged activation of μORs with an internalizing agonist such as fentanyl does not enhance the ability of acute morphine to trigger μOR endocytosis or induce changes in intracellular trafficking proteins, as observed with prolonged activation of μORs with a poorly internalizing agonist such as morphine. Cellular adaptations induced by chronic opiate treatment might be ligand dependent and vary with the agonist efficiency to induce receptor internalization.
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Spinal astrocytes have important mechanistic contributions to the initiation and maintenance of neurodegenerative diseases and chronic pain. Under inflammatory conditions, spinal astrocytes are exposed to cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and these cytokines could alter astrocytic function by modulating connexin (Cx43), subunits that form channels that modulate intercellular communication in astrocytes. The current study investigated the alteration of Cx43-gap junction in rat primary cultured spinal astrocytes stimulated with cytokines by real-time PCR and Western blotting. ⋯ Both the decrease of Cx43 expression and the reduction in GJIC induced by the mixture of TNF-α and IFN-γ were prevented by blocking c-jun terminal kinase (JNK) but not by blocking extracellular signaling molecules ERK and p38 kinase, indicating a specific role of astrocytic JNK in the response to cytokines. In addition, treatment with cytokines potently induced the phosphorylation of JNK and c-jun in a time-dependent manner. These results indicate that intercellular communication of astrocytes is significantly disrupted in the inflammatory state and that stimulation of spinal astrocytes with inflammatory cytokines leads to significant inhibition of Cx43-GJIC through activation of the JNK signaling pathway.