Gabapentin Activates Spinal Noradrenergic Activity in Rats and Humans and Reduces Hypersensitivity after Surgery

2007 ◽  
Vol 106 (3) ◽  
pp. 557-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken-ichiro Hayashida ◽  
Sophia DeGoes ◽  
Regina Curry ◽  
James C. Eisenach

Background Gabapentin has been reported to inhibit various acute and chronic pain conditions in animals and humans. Although the efficacy of gabapentin depends on the alpha2delta subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels, its analgesic mechanisms in vivo are still unknown. Here, the authors tested the role of spinal noradrenergic inhibition in gabapentin's analgesia for postoperative pain. Methods Gabapentin was administered orally and intracerebroventricularly to rats on the day after paw incision, and withdrawal threshold to paw pressure was measured. The authors also measured cerebrospinal fluid concentration of norepinephrine and postoperative morphine use after surgery in patients who received oral placebo or gabapentin. Results Both oral and intracerebroventricular gabapentin attenuated postoperative hypersensitivity in rats in a dose-dependent manner. This effect of gabapentin was blocked by intrathecal administration of the alpha2-adrenergic receptor antagonist idazoxan and the G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channel antagonist tertiapin-Q, but not by atropine. In humans, preoperative gabapentin, 1,200 mg, significantly increased norepinephrine concentration in cerebrospinal fluid and decreased morphine requirements. Conclusions These data suggest that gabapentin activates the descending noradrenergic system and induces spinal norepinephrine release, which produces analgesia via spinal alpha2-adrenoceptor stimulation, followed by activation of G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channels. The authors' clinical data suggest that gabapentin activates the descending noradrenergic system after preoperative oral administration at the time of surgery. These data support a central mechanism of oral gabapentin to reduce postoperative pain and suggest that this effect could be magnified by treatments that augment the effect of norepinephrine release.

2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (16) ◽  
pp. 8141-8152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph D. Sherrill ◽  
Melissa P. Stropes ◽  
Olivia D. Schneider ◽  
Diana E. Koch ◽  
Fabiola M. Bittencourt ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The presence of numerous G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) homologs within the herpesvirus genomes suggests an essential role for these genes in viral replication in the infected host. Such is the case for murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV), where deletion of the M33 GPCR or replacement of M33 with a signaling defective mutant has been shown to severely attenuate replication in vivo. In the present study we utilized a genetically altered version of M33 (termed R131A) in combination with pharmacological inhibitors to further characterize the mechanisms by which M33 activates downstream signaling pathways. This R131A mutant of M33 fails to support salivary gland replication in vivo and, as such, is an important tool that can be used to examine the signaling activities of M33. We show that M33 stimulates the transcription factor CREB via heterotrimeric Gq/11 proteins and not through promiscuous coupling of M33 to the Gs pathway. Using inhibitors of signaling molecules downstream of Gq/11, we demonstrate that M33 stimulates CREB transcriptional activity in a phospholipase C-β and protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent manner. Finally, utilizing wild-type and R131A versions of M33, we show that M33-mediated activation of other signaling nodes, including the mitogen-activated protein kinase family member p38α and transcription factor NF-κB, occurs in the absence of Gq/11 and PKC signaling. The results from the present study indicate that M33 utilizes multiple mechanisms to modulate intracellular signaling cascades and suggest that signaling through PLC-β and PKC plays a central role in MCMV pathogenesis in vivo.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anuja R. Bony ◽  
Jeffrey R. McArthur ◽  
Rocio K. Finol-Urdaneta ◽  
David J. Adams

AbstractActivation of G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK or Kir3) channels leads to membrane hyperpolarization and dampening of neuronal excitability. Here we show that the analgesic α-conotoxin Vc1.1 potentiates inwardly rectifying K+ currents (IKir) mediated through native and recombinant GIRK1/2 channels by activation of the G protein-coupled GABAB receptor (GABABR) via a Pertussis toxin (PTX)-sensitive G protein. Recombinant co-expression of human GIRK1/2 subunits and GABABR in HEK293T cells resulted in a Ba2+-sensitive IKir potentiated by baclofen and Vc1.1 which was inhibited by PTX, intracellular GDP-β-S, or the GABABR-selective antagonist CGP 55845. In adult mouse DRG neurons, GABABR-dependent GIRK channel potentiation by Vc1.1 and baclofen hyperpolarizes the cell resting membrane potential with concomitant reduction of excitability consistent with Vc1.1 and baclofen analgesic effects in vivo. This study provides new insight into Vc1.1 as an allosteric agonist for GABABR-mediated potentiation of GIRK channels and may aid in the development of novel non-opioid treatments for chronic pain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guanyu Chen ◽  
Honghui Zeng ◽  
Xinyun Li ◽  
Jianbo Liu ◽  
Zhao Li ◽  
...  

AbstractChemotherapy-induced intestinal mucositis (CIM) is a common adverse reaction to antineoplastic treatment with few appropriate, specific interventions. We aimed to identify the role of the G protein coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) in CIM and its mechanism. Adult male C57BL/6 mice were intraperitoneally injected with 5-fluorouracil to establish the CIM model. The selective GPER agonist G-1 significantly inhibited weight loss and histological damage in CIM mice and restored mucosal barrier dysfunction, including improving the expression of ZO-1, increasing the number of goblet cells, and decreasing mucosal permeability. Moreover, G-1 treatment did not alter the antitumor effect of 5-fluorouracil. In the CIM model, G-1 therapy reduced the expression of proapoptotic protein and cyclin D1 and cyclin B1, reversed the changes in the number of TUNEL+ cells, Ki67+ and bromodeoxyuridine+ cells in crypts. The selective GPER antagonist G15 eliminated all of the above effects caused by G-1 on CIM, and application of G15 alone increased the severity of CIM. GPER was predominantly expressed in ileal crypts, and G-1 inhibited the DNA damage induced by 5-fluorouracil in vivo and vitro, as confirmed by the decrease in the number of γH2AX+ cells in the crypts and the comet assay results. Referring to the data from GEO dataset we verified GPER activation restored ERK1/2 activity in CIM and 5-fluorouracil-treated IEC-6 cells. Once the effects of G-1 on ERK1/2 activity were abolished with the ERK1/2 inhibitor PD0325901, the effects of G-1 on DNA damage both in vivo and in vitro were eliminated. Correspondingly, all of the manifestations of G-1 protection against CIM were inhibited by PD0325901, such as body weight and histological changes, the mucosal barrier, the apoptosis and proliferation of crypt cells. In conclusion, GPER activation prevents CIM by inhibiting crypt cell DNA damage in an ERK1/2-dependent manner, suggesting GPER might be a target preventing CIM.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aya Mikdache ◽  
Marie-José Boueid ◽  
Lorijn van der Spek ◽  
Emilie Lesport ◽  
Brigitte Delespierre ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Regulator of G protein signaling 4 (Rgs4) is a member of the RGS proteins superfamily that modulates the activity of G-protein coupled receptors. It is mainly expressed in the nervous system and is linked to several neuronal signaling pathways; however, its role in neural development in vivo remains inconclusive. Here, we generated and characterized a rgs4 loss of function model (MZrgs4) in zebrafish. MZrgs4 embryos showed motility defects and presented reduced head and eye sizes, reflecting defective motoneurons axon outgrowth and a significant decrease in the number of neurons in the central and peripheral nervous system. Forcing the expression of Rgs4 specifically within motoneurons rescued their early defective outgrowth in MZrgs4 embryos, indicating an autonomous role for Rgs4 in motoneurons. We also analyzed the role of Akt, Erk and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling cascades and showed a requirement for these pathways in motoneurons axon outgrowth and neuronal development. Drawing on pharmacological and rescue experiments in MZrgs4, we provide evidence that Rgs4 facilitates signaling mediated by Akt, Erk and mTOR in order to drive axon outgrowth in motoneurons and regulate neuronal numbers.


2015 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 617-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly R. Monk ◽  
Jörg Hamann ◽  
Tobias Langenhan ◽  
Saskia Nijmeijer ◽  
Torsten Schöneberg ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (12) ◽  
pp. 1303-1310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guan-Yu Ren ◽  
Chun-Yang Chen ◽  
Wei-Guo Chen ◽  
Ya Huang ◽  
Li-Qiang Qin ◽  
...  

Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), a lignan extracted from flaxseed, has been shown to suppress benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). However, little is known about the mechanistic basis for its anti-BPH activity. The present study showed that enterolactone (ENL), the mammalian metabolite of SDG, shared the similar binding site of G1 on a new type of membranous estrogen receptor, G-protein-coupled estrogen eceptor 1 (GPER), by docking simulations method. ENL and G1 (the specific agonist of GPER) inhibited the proliferation of human prostate stromal cell line WPMY-1 as shown by MTT assay and arrested cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase, which was displayed by propidium iodide staining following flow cytometer examination. Silencing GPER by short interfering RNA attenuated the inhibitory effect of ENL on WPMY-1 cells. The therapeutic potential of SDG in the treatment of BPH was confirmed in a testosterone propionate-induced BPH rat model. SDG significantly reduced the enlargement of the rat prostate and the number of papillary projections of prostatic alveolus and thickness of the pseudostratified epithelial and stromal cells when comparing with the model group. Mechanistic studies showed that SDG and ENL increased the expression of GPER both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, ENL-induced cell cycle arrest may be mediated by the activation of GPER/ERK pathway and subsequent upregulation of p53 and p21 and downregulation of cyclin D1. This work, in tandem with previous studies, will enhance our knowledge regarding the mechanism(s) of dietary phytochemicals on BPH prevention and ultimately expand the scope of adopting alternative approaches in BPH treatment.


2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 326-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
R van Boxtel ◽  
B Vroling ◽  
P Toonen ◽  
I J Nijman ◽  
H van Roekel ◽  
...  

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