Mol Pain
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Cav3.2 channels facilitate nociceptive transmission and are upregulated in DRG neurons in response to nerve injury or peripheral inflammation. We reported that this enhancement of Cav3.2 currents in afferent neurons is mediated by deubiquitination of the channels by the deubiquitinase USP5, and that disrupting USP5/Cav3.2 channel interactions protected from inflammatory and neuropathic pain. ⋯ Overall, our findings provide proof of concept for a new class of analgesics that target T-type channel deubiquitination.
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Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) is a potent lipid mediator of inflammation, and its biological effects are mediated primarily through the high affinity LTB4 receptor BLT1. Although numerous studies have reported that LTB4-BLT1 signaling is involved in inflammatory diseases, the role of BLT1 signaling in pain remains undefined. To clarify the role of LTB4-BLT1 signaling in acute inflammatory pain induced by tissue injury, we performed pain behavioral analysis and assessment of local inflammation induced by peripheral formalin injections in BLT1 knockout mice. We examined the phosphorylation of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in the spinal cord both in wild-type and BLT1 knockout mice because phosphorylation of CREB in spinal cord neurons is important for nociceptive sensitization following peripheral injury. We also examined the effect of a BLT1 antagonist on formalin-induced pain responses in mice. ⋯ Our data suggest that LTB4-BLT1 axis contributes not only to the peripheral inflammation but also to the neuronal activation in the spinal cord induced by intraplantar formalin injections. Thus, LTB4-BLT1 signaling is a potential target for therapeutic intervention of acute and persistent pain induced by tissue injury.
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Paclitaxel, a powerful anti-neoplastic drug, often causes pathological pain, which significantly reduces the quality of life in patients. Paclitaxel-induced pain includes pain that occurs immediately after paclitaxel treatment (paclitaxel-associated acute pain syndrome, P-APS) and pain that persists for weeks to years after cessation of paclitaxel treatment (paclitaxel induced chronic neuropathic pain). Mechanisms underlying P-APS remain unknown. ⋯ Through activating TLR4, paclitaxel increases glutamatergic synaptic activities and reduces glial glutamate transporter activities in the dorsal horn. Activations of TLR4 are necessary in the genesis of paclitaxel-induced acute pain. The cellular and molecular signaling pathways revealed in this study could provide rationales for the development of analgesics and management strategies for P-APS in patients.
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Artemin, a member of the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor family, is known to have a variety of neuronal functions, and has been the subject of attention because it has interesting effects, including bi-directional results in modulation in neuropathic and inflammatory pain. It has been shown that the overexpression of artemin is associated with an increase in the expression of TRP family channels in primary afferents and subsequent hyperalgesia, and an increase in neuronal activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the peripheral synthesis of artemin in inflammatory and neuropathic pain models, and to demonstrate the effects of long-term or repeated application of artemin in vivo on pain behaviors and on the expression of TRP family channels. Further, the regulatory mechanisms of artemin on TRPV1/A1 were examined using cultured DRG neurons. ⋯ These data indicate the important roles of peripherally-derived artemin on the regulation of TRPV1/A1 in DRG neurons in pathological conditions such as inflammatory and neuropathic pain.
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Central pain syndrome is characterized by a combination of abnormal pain sensations, and pain medications often provide little or no relief. Accumulating animal and clinical studies have shown that impairments of the spinothalamic tract (STT) and thalamocingulate pathway causes somatosensory dysfunction in central post-stroke pain (CPSP), but the involvement of other neuronal circuitries in CPSP has not yet been systematically examined. The aim of the present study was to evaluate changes in brain activity and neuronal circuitry using [(14)C]iodoantipyrine (IAP) in an animal model of CPSP. ⋯ These results corroborate previous findings that the STT and thalamocingulate pathway are involved in the pathophysiological mechanisms of CPSP symptoms. The mPFC, amygdala, and periaqueductal gray emerged as having important correlations in pain processing in CPSP. The present data provide a basis for a neural correlation hypothesis of CPSP, with implications for CPSP treatment.