Stimulation-produced analgesia in the mouse: evidence for laterality of opioid mediation

A mammalian gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone homolog RFamide-related peptide 3 regulates pain and anxiety in mice

RFamide-related peptide (RFRP) is a homologous neuropeptide to gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), which is a hypothalamic neuropeptide that negatively regulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. RFRP/GnIH is thought to be the mediator of stress because various stressors increase RFRP/GnIH mRNA expression and/or RFRP/GnIH neuronal activities. RFRP/GnIH may also directly regulate behavior, because RFRP/GnIH neuronal fibers and RFRP/GnIH receptor are widely expressed in the brain. Here, we create a RFRP/GnIH knockout (GnIH-KO) mice and conduct various behavioral tests. Dense RFRP/GnIH neuronal fibers are located in the limbic system and broad areas in the thalamus, hypothalamus, and midbrain in wild-type mice but not in RFRP/GnIH-KO mice. Spatial working memory is not improved in GnIH-KO mice as shown by Y-maze test. GnIH-KO mice perform intensive wheel running exercise for several hours after light-off. Hot plate test shows that GnIH-KO mice have decreased sensitivity to pain and central administration of RFRP3 to GnIH-KO mice recovers pain sensitivity. Elevated plus maze test shows that GnIH-KO mice have decreased level of anxiety and central administration of RFRP3 to GnIH-KO mice recovers anxiety level. These results indicate that RFRP3 regulates pain and anxiety in mice. RFRP3 may be involved in the negative regulation of spontaneous activity in addition to negatively regulating the reproductive neuroendocrine axis in stressful conditions.

GPR171 Agonist Reduces Chronic Neuropathic and Inflammatory Pain in Male, But Not Female Mice

Chronic pain is a growing public health crisis that requires exigent and efficacious therapeutics. GPR171 is a promising therapeutic target that is widely expressed through the brain, including within the descending pain modulatory regions. Here, we explore the therapeutic potential of the GPR171 agonist, MS15203, in its ability to alleviate chronic pain in male and female mice using a once-daily systemic dose (10 mg/kg, i.p.) of MS15203 over the course of 5 days. We found that in our models of Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammatory pain and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), MS15203 did not alleviate thermal hypersensitivity and allodynia, respectively, in female mice. On the other hand, MS15203 treatment decreased the duration of thermal hypersensitivity in CFA-treated male mice following 3 days of once-daily administration. MS15203 treatment also produced an improvement in allodynia in male mice, but not female mice, in neuropathic pain after 5 days of treatment. Gene expression of GPR171 and that of its endogenous ligand BigLEN, encoded by the gene PCSK1N, were unaltered within the periaqueductal gray (PAG) in both male and female mice following inflammatory and neuropathic pain. However, following neuropathic pain in male mice, the protein levels of GPR171 were decreased in the PAG. Treatment with MS15203 then rescued the protein levels of GPR171 in the PAG of these mice. Taken together, our results identify GPR171 as a GPCR that displays sexual dimorphism in alleviation of chronic pain. Further, our results suggest that GPR171 and MS15203 have demonstrable therapeutic potential in the treatment of chronic pain.

Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone mediates behavioral stress responses

Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) is an inhibitor of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. GnIH is also called RFamide-related peptide (RFRP) as GnIH peptides have a characteristic C-terminal LPXRFiamide (X = L or Q) sequence. GnIH is thought to be the mediator of stress by negatively regulating the HPG axis as various stressors increase GnIH mRNA, GnIH peptide or GnIH neuronal activity. On the other hand, GnIH may also mediate behavioral stress responses as GnIH neuronal fibers and GnIH receptors are widely located in the limbic system of telencephalon, diencephalon and midbrain area. Previous studies have shown that intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of GnIH (RFRP) blocks morphine-induced analgesia in hot plate and formalin injection tests in rats suggesting that GnIH increases sensitivity to pain. GnIH (RFRP) also increases anxiety-like behavior in rats. RNA interference of GnIH gene (GnIH RNAi) increases locomotor activity of white-crowned sparrow and Japanese quail and i.c.v. administration of GnIH decreases GnIH RNAi induced locomotor activity. It was further shown that i.c.v. administration of GnIH (RFRP) decreases aggressive behavior in male quail and sexual behavior in male rats, female white-crowned sparrow and female hamsters. These results suggest that GnIH decreases threat to homeostasis of the organism by increasing pain sensitivity, anxiety and decreasing locomotor activity, aggressive behavior and sexual behavior. GnIH may also mediate the effect of stress on behavior.

Fos expression in the midbrain periaqueductal grey after trigeminovascular stimulation

There is an accumulating body of evidence suggesting that the periaqueductal grey (PAG) is involved in the pathophysiology of migraine. Positron emission tomography (PET) studies in humans have shown that the caudal ventrolateral midbrain, encompassing the ventrolateral PAG, has activations during migraine attacks. The PAG may well be involved not only through the descending modulation of nociceptive afferent information, but also by its ascending projections to the pain processing centres of the thalamus. In this study the intranuclear oncogene protein Fos was used to mark cell activation in the PAG following stimulation of the trigeminally-innervated superior sagittal sinus (SSS) in both cats and in nonhuman primates (Macaca nemestrina). Fos expression in the PAG increased following stimulation to a median of 242 cells (interquartile range 236-272) in the cat and 155 cells (range 104-203) in the monkey, compared with control levels of 35 cells (21-50) and 26 cells (18-33), respectively. Activation was predominantly in the ventrolateral area of the caudal PAG suggesting that the PAG is involved following trigeminally-evoked craniovascular pain.

Stimulation of the periaqueductal gray matter of the rat produces a preferential ipsilateral antinociception

The few studies analyzing somatotopic organization of stimulation-produced antinociception (SPA) from the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG) have reported contradictory results. In the present study, the distribution of SPA on the hindquarters was assessed by measuring the threshold for inhibition of withdrawal reflexes to noxious heat applied to the hindpaws and tail in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats. Of the 3 body regions tested, the hindpaw contralateral to the stimulating electrode required the highest level of PAG stimulation to inhibit withdrawal. Reducing the intensity of the heat stimulus applied to the hindpaws caused a concomitant reduction in SPA threshold. As before, a higher stimulation current was needed to inhibit the withdrawal reflex in the contralateral than in the ipsilateral paw. These data indicate the antinociception from PAG stimulation is not equally distributed throughout the body, and that the intensity of the noxious stimulus influences the threshold for SPA.