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Su Y, Verkhratsky A, Yi C. Targeting connexins: possible game changer in managing neuropathic pain? Trends Mol Med 2024:S1471-4914(24)00064-9. [PMID: 38594094 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2024.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Neuropathic pain is a chronic debilitating condition caused by nerve injury or a variety of diseases. At the core of neuropathic pain lies the aberrant neuronal excitability in the peripheral and/or central nervous system (PNS and CNS). Enhanced connexin expression and abnormal activation of connexin-assembled gap junctional channels are prominent in neuropathic pain along with reactive gliosis, contributing to neuronal hypersensitivity and hyperexcitability. In this review, we delve into the current understanding of how connexin expression and function contribute to the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of neuropathic pain and argue for connexins as potential therapeutic targets for neuropathic pain management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixun Su
- Research Centre, Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Alexei Verkhratsky
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK; Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Bilbao, Spain; Department of Stem Cell Biology, State Research Institute Centre for Innovative Medicine, Vilnius, Lithuania; Department of Forensic Analytical Toxicology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
| | - Chenju Yi
- Research Centre, Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Guangzhou, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Active substance screening and Translational Research, Shenzhen, China.
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Letellier B, Kremer M, Becker LJ, Andry V, Goumon Y, Leboulleux Q, Hener P, Inquimbert P, Couqueberg N, Waltisperger E, Yalcin I, Mouthon F, Droguerre M, Charvériat M, Barrot M. Action of mefloquine/amitriptyline THN101 combination on neuropathic mechanical hypersensitivity in mice. Pain 2021; 162:2841-2853. [PMID: 33769363 PMCID: PMC8600545 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Tricyclic antidepressants that inhibit serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake, such as amitriptyline, are among the first-line treatments for neuropathic pain, which is caused by a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory nervous system. These treatments are, however, partially efficient to alleviate neuropathic pain symptoms, and better treatments are still highly required. Interactions between neurons and glial cells participate in neuropathic pain processes, and importantly, connexins-transmembrane proteins involved in cell-cell communication-contribute to these interactions. In a neuropathic pain model in rats, mefloquine, a connexin inhibitor, has been shown to potentiate the antihyperalgesic effect of amitriptyline, a widely used antidepressant. In this study, we further investigated this improvement of amitriptyline action by mefloquine, using the cuff model of neuropathic pain in mice. We first observed that oral mefloquine co-treatment prolonged the effect of amitriptyline on mechanical hypersensitivity by 12 hours after administration. In addition, we showed that this potentiation was not due to pharmacokinetic interactions between the 2 drugs. Besides, lesional and pharmacological approaches showed that the prolonged effect was induced through noradrenergic descending pathways and the recruitment of α2 adrenoceptors. Another connexin blocker, carbenoxolone, also improved amitriptyline action. Additional in vitro studies suggested that mefloquine may also directly act on serotonin transporters and on adenosine A1 and A2A receptors, but drugs acting on these other targets failed to amplify amitriptyline action. Together, our data indicate that pharmacological blockade of connexins potentiates the therapeutic effect of amitriptyline in neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baptiste Letellier
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Strasbourg, France
- Theranexus, Lyon, France
| | - Mélanie Kremer
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Strasbourg, France
| | - Léa J. Becker
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Strasbourg, France
| | - Virginie Andry
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Strasbourg, France
| | - Yannick Goumon
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Strasbourg, France
| | - Quentin Leboulleux
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Strasbourg, France
| | - Pierre Hener
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Strasbourg, France
| | - Perrine Inquimbert
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Strasbourg, France
| | - Nolwenn Couqueberg
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Strasbourg, France
| | - Elisabeth Waltisperger
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Strasbourg, France
| | - Ipek Yalcin
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Strasbourg, France
| | | | | | | | - Michel Barrot
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Strasbourg, France
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Nigrostriatal dopamine depletion promoted an increase in inhibitory markers (parvalbumin, GAD67, VGAT) and cold allodynia. Neurosci Lett 2021; 762:136135. [PMID: 34311052 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Pain constitutes the major non-motor symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD). Its mechanism is still poorly understood although an increase in excitation or a decrease in inhibition have been reported in preclinical studies. The aim of this study was to investigate gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) inhibition in the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) PD rat model. Therefore, the expression of three inhibitory markers parvalbumin, glutamate decarboxylase 67 (GAD67) and vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT) was evaluated, besides cold allodynia, in bilateral 6-OHDA lesioned rat. There was a significant increase in the expression of the three markers labeling within the spinal dorsal horn (SDH) of 6-OHDA lesioned rats. In parallel, there was also an increase of the excitatory marker protein kinase C gamma (PKCγ) . PKCγ cells have a crucial role in pain chronicity and are regulated by GABAergic influences. Central dopamine depletion induced an increase in excitation as reveled by an increase in cFOS expression upon acetone stimulus and the presence of cold allodynia. In addition, dopamine depletion induced increased expression in inhibitory markers, which may reflect a disinhibition or a decreased inhibition in 6-OHDA lesioned rats.
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Li Q, Ma TL, Qiu YQ, Cui WQ, Chen T, Zhang WW, Wang J, Mao-Ying QL, Mi WL, Wang YQ, Chu YX. Connexin 36 Mediates Orofacial Pain Hypersensitivity Through GluK2 and TRPA1. Neurosci Bull 2020; 36:1484-1499. [PMID: 33067780 PMCID: PMC7719140 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-020-00594-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Trigeminal neuralgia is a debilitating condition, and the pain easily spreads to other parts of the face. Here, we established a mouse model of partial transection of the infraorbital nerve (pT-ION) and found that the Connexin 36 (Cx36) inhibitor mefloquine caused greater alleviation of pT-ION-induced cold allodynia compared to the reduction of mechanical allodynia. Mefloquine reversed the pT-ION-induced upregulation of Cx36, glutamate receptor ionotropic kainate 2 (GluK2), transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1), and phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase (p-ERK) in the trigeminal ganglion. Cold allodynia but not mechanical allodynia induced by pT-ION or by virus-mediated overexpression of Cx36 in the trigeminal ganglion was reversed by the GluK2 antagonist NS102, and knocking down Cx36 expression in Nav1.8-expressing nociceptors by injecting virus into the orofacial skin area of Nav1.8-Cre mice attenuated cold allodynia but not mechanical allodynia. In conclusion, we show that Cx36 contributes greatly to the development of orofacial pain hypersensitivity through GluK2, TRPA1, and p-ERK signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Li
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, Institutes of Integrative Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, Brain Science Collaborative Innovation Center, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Tian-Le Ma
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, Institutes of Integrative Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, Brain Science Collaborative Innovation Center, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - You-Qi Qiu
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, Institutes of Integrative Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, Brain Science Collaborative Innovation Center, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Wen-Qiang Cui
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, Institutes of Integrative Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, Brain Science Collaborative Innovation Center, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China
- Department of Pain Management, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, The First Hospital Affiliated with Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250000, China
| | - Teng Chen
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, Institutes of Integrative Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, Brain Science Collaborative Innovation Center, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Wen-Wen Zhang
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, Institutes of Integrative Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, Brain Science Collaborative Innovation Center, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Nephropathy, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Luohu Hospital Group, Shenzhen, 518001, China
| | - Qi-Liang Mao-Ying
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, Institutes of Integrative Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, Brain Science Collaborative Innovation Center, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Wen-Li Mi
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, Institutes of Integrative Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, Brain Science Collaborative Innovation Center, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Yan-Qing Wang
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, Institutes of Integrative Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, Brain Science Collaborative Innovation Center, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Yu-Xia Chu
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, Institutes of Integrative Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, Brain Science Collaborative Innovation Center, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China.
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Kuner R, Kuner T. Cellular Circuits in the Brain and Their Modulation in Acute and Chronic Pain. Physiol Rev 2020; 101:213-258. [PMID: 32525759 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00040.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic, pathological pain remains a global health problem and a challenge to basic and clinical sciences. A major obstacle to preventing, treating, or reverting chronic pain has been that the nature of neural circuits underlying the diverse components of the complex, multidimensional experience of pain is not well understood. Moreover, chronic pain involves diverse maladaptive plasticity processes, which have not been decoded mechanistically in terms of involvement of specific circuits and cause-effect relationships. This review aims to discuss recent advances in our understanding of circuit connectivity in the mammalian brain at the level of regional contributions and specific cell types in acute and chronic pain. A major focus is placed on functional dissection of sub-neocortical brain circuits using optogenetics, chemogenetics, and imaging technological tools in rodent models with a view towards decoding sensory, affective, and motivational-cognitive dimensions of pain. The review summarizes recent breakthroughs and insights on structure-function properties in nociceptive circuits and higher order sub-neocortical modulatory circuits involved in aversion, learning, reward, and mood and their modulation by endogenous GABAergic inhibition, noradrenergic, cholinergic, dopaminergic, serotonergic, and peptidergic pathways. The knowledge of neural circuits and their dynamic regulation via functional and structural plasticity will be beneficial towards designing and improving targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohini Kuner
- Institute of Pharmacology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; and Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Kuner
- Institute of Pharmacology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; and Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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