CB2/miR-124 signaling down-regulate the expression of purinergic P2X4 and P2X7 receptor in dorsal spinal cord of CCI rats

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Xu ◽  
Fan Yang ◽  
Lijuan Li ◽  
Xiaohong Liu ◽  
Xiaolu Lei ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The importance of P2X purinoceptors, CB2 receptor and microRNA-124(miR-124) in spinal cord microglia to the development of neuropathic pain was demonstrated in numerous previous studies. The upregulation of P2X4 and P2X7 receptors in spinal dorsal horn microglia is involved in the development of pain behavior caused by peripheral nerve injury. However, it is not clear whether the expression of P2X4 and P2X7 receptors at dorsal spinal cord will be influenced by CB2 receptor or miR-124 in rats after chronic sciatic nerve injury.Methods: Chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve was performed in rats to induce neuropathic pain. Tests of the mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) were carried out to assess the response of the paw to mechanical stimulus. The expression of miR-124, P2X4, P2X7 and CB2 receptor were detected with RT-PCR. The protein expression of P2X4, P2X7 and CB2 receptor, RhoA, ROCK1, ROCK2, p-p38MAPK and p-NF-kappaBp65 was detected with Western blotting analysis. Results: Intrathecal administration of CB2 receptor agonist AM1241 significantly attenuated CCI-induced mechanical allodynia and significantly inhibited the increased expression of P2X4 and P2X7 receptors at the mRNA and protein levels, which imply that P2X4 and P2X7 receptors expression are down-regulated by AM1241 in CCI rats. Western blot analysis showed that AM1241 suppressed the elevated expression of RhoA, ROCK1, ROCK2, p-p38MAPK and NF-κBp65 in the dorsal spinal cord induced by CCI. After administration with Y-27632 (ROCK inhibitor), SB203580 (P38MAPK inhibitor) or PDTC (NF-κB inhibitor), the levels of P2X4 and P2X7 receptors expression in the dorsal spinal cord were lower than those in CCI rats, which imply that the ROCK/P38MAPK pathway and NF-κB activation may contribute to the increased expression of P2X4 and P2X7 receptor. On the other hand, in CCI rats, AM1241 treatment evoked the increased expression of CB2 receptor and miRNA-124, which can be inhibited by intrathecal injection of CB2 receptor antagonist AM630, which indicate that the increased expression of miRNA-124 may be medicated by CB2 receptor activation. In addition, the increased expression of P2X4 and P2X7 receptors in the dorsal spinal cord of CCI rats were inhibited by miRNA-124 agomir. Furthermore, intrathecal injection of miRNA-124 agomir could efficiently inhibit the ROCK/P38MAPK pathway and NF-κB activation in CCI rats. Moreover, AM1241 treatment significantly inhibited the expression of P2X4 and P2X7 receptors, and this suppression is enhanced by pretreatment with miRNA-124 agomir. On the contrast, the inhibitory effect of AM1241 on the expression of P2X4 and P2X7 receptor can be reversed by pretreatment with miRNA-124 antagomir.Conclusions: In CCI rats, intrathecal injection of AM1241 could efficiently induce the increased expression of miRNA-124, while inhibiting the ROCK/P38MAPK pathway and NF-κB activation in dorsal spinal cord. CB2 receptor/miRNA-124 signaling induced the decreased P2X4 and P2X7 receptors expression via inhibit the ROCK/P38MAPK pathway and NF-κB activation.

2007 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 687-697 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Meunier ◽  
Alban Latrémolière ◽  
Elisa Dominguez ◽  
Annie Mauborgne ◽  
Stéphanie Philippe ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 250-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chien-Yi Chiang ◽  
Meei-Ling Sheu ◽  
Fu-Chou Cheng ◽  
Chun-Jung Chen ◽  
Hong-Lin Su ◽  
...  

Object Neuropathic pain is debilitating, and when chronic, it significantly affects the patient physically, psychologically, and socially. The neurobehavior of animals used as a model for chronic constriction injury seems analogous to the neurobehavior of humans with neuropathic pain. However, no data depicting the severity of histomorphological alterations of the nervous system associated with graded changes in neurobehavior are available. To determine the severity of histomorphological alteration related to neurobehavior, the authors created a model of chronic constrictive injury of varying intensity in rats and used the CatWalk XT system to evaluate neurobehavior. Methods A total of 60 Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 250–300 g each, were randomly assigned to 1 of 5 groups that would receive sham surgery or 1, 2, 3, or 4 ligatures of 3-0 chromic gut loosely ligated around the left sciatic nerve. Neurobehavior was assessed by CatWalk XT, thermal hyperalgesia, and mechanic allodynia before injury and periodically after injury. The nerve tissue from skin to dorsal spinal cord was obtained for histomorphological analysis 1 week after injury, and brain evoked potentials were analyzed 4 weeks after injury. Results. Significant differences in expression of nerve growth factor existed in skin, and the differences were associated with the intensity of nerve injury. After injury, expression of cluster of differentiation 68 and tumor necrosis factor–α was increased, and expression of S100 protein in the middle of the injured nerve was decreased. Increased expression of synaptophysin in the dorsal root ganglion and dorsal spinal cord correlated with the intensity of injury. The amplitude of sensory evoked potential increased with greater severity of nerve damage. Mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia did not differ significantly among treatment groups at various time points. CatWalk XT gait analysis indicated significant differences for print areas, maximum contact maximum intensity, stand phase, swing phase, single stance, and regular index, with sham and/or intragroup comparisons. Conclusions. Histomorphological and electrophysiological alterations were associated with severity of nerve damage. Subtle neurobehavioral differences were detected by the CatWalk XT system but not by mechanical allodynia or thermal hyperalgesia. Thus, the CatWalk XT system should be a useful tool for monitoring changes in neuropathic pain, especially subtle alterations.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Park Eun-sung ◽  
Ahn Jung-mo ◽  
Jeon Sang-min ◽  
Cho Hee-jung ◽  
Chung Ki-myung ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 174480692110066
Author(s):  
Orest Tsymbalyuk ◽  
Volodymyr Gerzanich ◽  
Aaida Mumtaz ◽  
Sanketh Andhavarapu ◽  
Svetlana Ivanova ◽  
...  

Background Neuropathic pain following peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is linked to neuroinflammation in the spinal cord marked by astrocyte activation and upregulation of interleukin 6 (IL -6 ), chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1), with inhibition of each individually being beneficial in pain models. Methods Wild type (WT) mice and mice with global or pGfap-cre- or pGFAP-cre/ERT2-driven Abcc8/SUR1 deletion or global Trpm4 deletion underwent unilateral sciatic nerve cuffing. WT mice received prophylactic (starting on post-operative day [pod]-0) or therapeutic (starting on pod-21) administration of the SUR1 antagonist, glibenclamide (10 µg IP) daily. We measured mechanical and thermal sensitivity using von Frey filaments and an automated Hargreaves method. Spinal cord tissues were evaluated for SUR1-TRPM4, IL-6, CCL2 and CXCL1. Results Sciatic nerve cuffing in WT mice resulted in pain behaviors (mechanical allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia) and newly upregulated SUR1-TRPM4 in dorsal horn astrocytes. Global and pGfap-cre-driven Abcc8 deletion and global Trpm4 deletion prevented development of pain behaviors. In mice with Abcc8 deletion regulated by pGFAP-cre/ERT2, after pain behaviors were established, delayed silencing of Abcc8 by tamoxifen resulted in gradual improvement over the next 14 days. After PNI, leakage of the blood-spinal barrier allowed entry of glibenclamide into the affected dorsal horn. Daily repeated administration of glibenclamide, both prophylactically and after allodynia was established, prevented or reduced allodynia. The salutary effects of glibenclamide on pain behaviors correlated with reduced expression of IL-6, CCL2 and CXCL1 by dorsal horn astrocytes. Conclusion SUR1-TRPM4 may represent a novel non-addicting target for neuropathic pain.


2016 ◽  
Vol 617 ◽  
pp. 6-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangting Xu ◽  
Juan Huang ◽  
Zhenghua He ◽  
Jia Chen ◽  
Xiaoting Tang ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-184
Author(s):  
M. Richner ◽  
O.J. Bjerrum ◽  
Y. De Koninck ◽  
A. Nykjaer ◽  
C.B. Vaegter

AbstractBackground/aimsThe molecular mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain are incompletely understood, but recent data suggest that down-regulation of the chloride extruding co-transporter KCC2 in spinal cord sensory neurons is critical: Following peripheral nerve injury, activated microglia in the spinal cord release BDNF, which stimulates neuronal TrkB receptors and ultimately results in the reduction of KCC2 levels. Consequently, neuronal intracellular chloride ion concentration increases, impairing GABAA-receptor mediated inhibition. We have previously described how the receptor sortilin modulates neurotrophin signaling by facilitating anterograde transport of Trk receptors. Unpublished data further link SorCS2, another member of the Sortilins family of sorting receptors (sortilin, SorLA and SorCS1–3) to BDNF signaling by regulating presynaptic TrkB trafficking. The purpose of this study is to explore the involvement of Sortilins in neuropathic pain.MethodsWe subjected wild-type (wt), sortilin knockout (Sort1-/-) and SorCS2 knockout (SorCS2-/-) mice to the Spared Nerve Injury (SNI) model of peripheral nerve injury. Mechanical allodynia was measured by von Frey filaments using the up-down-up method and a 3-out-of-5 thresshold.ResultsAs previously described by several groups, wt mice developed significant mechanical allodynia following SNI. Interestingly however, mice lacking sortilin or SorCS2 were fully protected from development of allodynia and did not display KCC2 down-regulation following injury. In addition, a single intrathecal injection of antibodies against sortilin or SorCS2 could delay or rescue mechanical allodynia in wt SNI mice for 2-3 days. Finally, neither sortilin nor SorCS2 deficient mice responded to intrathecal injection of BDNF, in contrast to wt mice which developed transient mechanical allodynia.ConclusionWe hypothesize that sortilin and SorCS2 are involved in neuropathic pain development by regulating TrkB signaling. Alternatively, Sortilins may directly influence the regulation of KCC2 membrane levels following injury. Both hypotheses are currently being investigated by our group.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueru Xu ◽  
Shaoxiong Fu ◽  
Xiaomei Shi ◽  
Rongguo Liu

Background. Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) on the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) has been applied to alleviate neuropathic pain effectively, yet the mechanisms underlying pain reduction owing to this treatment are not clarified completely. The activated microglia, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) in the spinal cord were demonstrated to be involved in developing neuropathic pain. Also, it has been just known that PRF on DRG inhibits the microglial activation in nerve injury rats. Here, we aim to investigate whether PRF treatment could regulate the levels of BDNF, PI3K, and p-ERK in the spinal cord of rats with spared nerve injury (SNI) via suppressing the spinal microglia activation to ease neuropathic pain. Methods. The rats with SNI were intrathecally treated with minocycline (specific microglia inhibitor) or same volume of dimethyl sulfoxide once daily, beginning from 1 h before nerve transection to 7 days. PRF was applied adjacent to the L4-L5 DRG of rats with SNI at 45 V for 6 min on the seventh postoperative day, whereas the free-PRF rats were treated without PRF. The withdrawal thresholds were studied, and the spinal levels of ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1), BDNF, PI3K, and p-ERK were calculated by western blot analysis, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and immunofluorescence. Results. The paw withdrawal mechanical threshold and paw withdrawal thermal latency decreased in the ipsilateral hind paws after SNI, and the spinal levels of Iba1, BDNF, PI3K, and p-ERK increased on day 21 after SNI compared with baseline (P<0.01). An intrathecal injection of minocycline led to the reversal of SNI-induced allodynia and increase in levels of Iba1, BDNF, PI3K, and p-ERK. Withdrawal thresholds recovered partially after a single PRF treatment for 14 days, and SNI-induced microglia hyperactivity, BDNF upregulation, and PI3K and ERK phosphorylation in the spinal cord reduced on D14 due to the PRF procedure. Conclusion. Microglial BDNF, PI3K, and p-ERK in the spinal cord are suppressed by the therapy of PRF on DRG to ease SNI-induced neuropathic pain in rats.


2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 871-883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Yang ◽  
Fang-Xiong Zhang ◽  
Fen Huang ◽  
Yin-Jing Lu ◽  
Guo-Dong Li ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaudia Kwiatkowski ◽  
Katarzyna Pawlik ◽  
Katarzyna Ciapała ◽  
Anna Piotrowska ◽  
Wioletta Makuch ◽  
...  

Clinical management of neuropathic pain is unsatisfactory, mainly due to its resistance to the effects of available analgesics, including opioids. Converging evidence indicates the functional interactions between chemokine and opioid receptors and their influence on nociceptive processes. Recent studies highlight that the CC chemokine receptors type 2 (CCR2) and 5 (CCR5) seem to be of particular interest. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of the dual CCR2/CCR5 antagonist, cenicriviroc, on pain-related behaviors, neuroimmune processes, and the efficacy of opioids in rats after chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve. To define the mechanisms of action of cenicriviroc, we studied changes in the activation/influx of glial and immune cells and, simultaneously, the expression level of CCR2, CCR5, and important pronociceptive cytokines in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRG). We demonstrated that repeated intrathecal injections of cenicriviroc, in a dose-dependent manner, alleviated hypersensitivity to mechanical and thermal stimuli in rats after sciatic nerve injury, as measured by von Frey and cold plate tests. Behavioral effects were associated with the beneficial impact of cenicriviroc on the activation/influx level of C1q/IBA-1-positive cells in the spinal cord and/or DRG and GFAP-positive cells in DRG. In parallel, administration of cenicriviroc decreased the expression of CCR2 in the spinal cord and CCR5 in DRG. Concomitantly, we observed that the level of important pronociceptive factors (e.g., IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-18, and CCL3) were increased in the lumbar spinal cord and/or DRG 7 days following injury, and cenicriviroc was able to prevent these changes. Additionally, repeated administration of this dual CCR2/CCR5 antagonist enhanced the analgesic effects of morphine and buprenorphine in neuropathic rats, which can be associated with the ability of cenicriviroc to prevent nerve injury-induced downregulation of all opioid receptors at the DRG level. Overall, our results suggest that pharmacological modulation based on the simultaneous blockade of CCR2 and CCR5 may serve as an innovative strategy for the treatment of neuropathic pain, as well as in combination with opioids.


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