1
|
Xu Q, Jin L, Wang L, Tang Y, Wu H, Chen Q, Sun L. The role of gonadal hormones in regulating opioid antinociception. Ann Med 2024; 56:2329259. [PMID: 38738380 PMCID: PMC11095291 DOI: 10.1080/07853890.2024.2329259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Opioids are the most prescribed drugs for the alleviation of pain. Both clinical and preclinical studies have reported strong evidence for sex-related divergence regarding opioid analgesia. There is an increasing amount of evidence indicating that gonadal hormones regulate the analgesic efficacy of opioids. This review presents an overview of the importance of gonadal steroids in modulating opioid analgesic responsiveness and focuses on elaborating what is currently known regarding the underlyingmechanism. We sought to identify the link between gonadal hormones and the effect of oipiod antinociception.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qi Xu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Women’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Lin Jin
- Department of Anesthesiology, Women’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - LuYang Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Women’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - YingYing Tang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Women’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Hui Wu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Women’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Qing Chen
- Department of Anesthesiology, Women’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - LiHong Sun
- Department of Anesthesiology, Women’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Khalilzadeh E, Aliyoldashi M, Abdkarimi B, Azarpey F, Vafaei Saiah G, Hazrati R, Caspani O. Reversal of cold intolerance by testosterone in orchiectomized mice after tibial nerve transection. Behav Brain Res 2023; 441:114269. [PMID: 36574845 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114269] [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: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Cold intolerance is a debilitating effect of nerve injury, has a strong impact on the life of patients and no advisable treatment exists against it. Testosterone influences pain pathways and has analgesic effects. A recent study showed testosterone as being an agonist of TRPM8, the predominant ion channel that contributes to cold hypersensitivity after injury. We investigated the effect of testosterone on cold sensitivity after nerve injury. Specifically, using the double plate test (DPT) (thermo-neutral-plate: 31 ºC and cold-plate: 18 ºC) we determined the thermal preference of mice at different points during the study design consisting of: orchiectomy, tibial nerve transection (TNT) (30 days after orchiectomy), 15-days-repeated subcutaneous injections of testosterone enanthate (250 or 500 µg/kg/day) or vehicle (started 12 h after TNT surgery). Different parameters such as time spent on cold plates, distance traveled, animal speed on the cold- and thermo-neutral-plates were determined in naïve, sham and neuropathic animals. Neither orchiectomy nor sham TNT surgery generate effects on cold intolerance and animal activity while TNT surgery decreased the time spent on the cold-plate and the distance traveled during DPT. Testosterone administration reversed the effect of nerve injury, decreasing the cold hypersensitivity and increasing activity of TNT mice. However, the effect of testosterone on cold avoidance reduced with time and at 14 days after TNT surgery, a higher dose was needed to reverse the effect generated by nerve injury. This indicates that although testosterone administration has a positive effect on cold intolerance, it might not be suitable for prolongated treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emad Khalilzadeh
- Division of physiology, Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran; Neurophysiology Department, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the University of Heidelberg, Mannheim Center for Translational Neuroscience (MCTN), Ludolf-Krehl-Str., 68167 Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Mohammadhassan Aliyoldashi
- Division of physiology, Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Babak Abdkarimi
- Division of physiology, Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Farzin Azarpey
- Division of physiology, Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran; Neurophysiology Department, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the University of Heidelberg, Mannheim Center for Translational Neuroscience (MCTN), Ludolf-Krehl-Str., 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Gholamreza Vafaei Saiah
- Division of physiology, Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Reza Hazrati
- Brain Research Center, Laval University, Quebec, Canada
| | - Ombretta Caspani
- Neurophysiology Department, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the University of Heidelberg, Mannheim Center for Translational Neuroscience (MCTN), Ludolf-Krehl-Str., 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Chen Q, Zhang W, Sadana N, Chen X. Estrogen receptors in pain modulation: cellular signaling. Biol Sex Differ 2021; 12:22. [PMID: 33568220 PMCID: PMC7877067 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-021-00364-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory perception and emotional disorders are disproportionally represented in men and women and are thus thought to be modulated by different sex hormones in various conditions. Among the most important hormones perceived to affect sensory processing and transduction is estrogen. Numerous previous researchers have endeavored to demonstrate that estrogen is capable of modulating the activity of sensory neurons in peripheral and central sites in female, male, or castrated animals. However, the underlying mechanisms of its modulation of neuronal activity are somewhat unclear. In the present review, we discuss the possible cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the modulation of nociception by estrogen.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qing Chen
- Department of Anesthesia, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wenxin Zhang
- Department of Anesthesia, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Neeti Sadana
- Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, USA
| | - Xinzhong Chen
- Department of Anesthesia, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Årnes AP, Nielsen CS, Stubhaug A, Fjeld MK, Hopstock LA, Horsch A, Johansen A, Morseth B, Wilsgaard T, Steingrímsdóttir ÓA. Physical activity and cold pain tolerance in the general population. Eur J Pain 2020; 25:637-650. [PMID: 33165994 DOI: 10.1002/ejp.1699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The relationship between habitual physical activity (PA) and experimental pain tolerance has been investigated in small samples of young, healthy and/or single-sex volunteers. We used a large, population-based sample to assess this relationship in men and women with and without chronic pain. METHODS We used data from the sixth and seventh Tromsø Study surveys (2007-2008; 2015-2016), with assessed pain tolerance of participants with the cold pressor test (CPT: dominant hand in circulating cold water at 3°C, maximum test time 106 s), and self-reported total amount of habitual PA in leisure time (n = 19,087), exercise frequency (n = 19,388), exercise intensity (n = 18,393) and exercise duration (n = 18,343). A sub-sample had PA measured by accelerometers (n = 4,922). We used Cox regression to compare CPT tolerance times between self-reported PA levels. For accelerometer-measured PA, we estimated hazard ratios for average daily activity counts, and for average daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA done in bouts lasting 10 min or more. Models were tested for PA-sex, and PA-chronic pain and PA-moderate-to-severe chronic pain interactions. RESULTS Leisure-time PA, exercise intensity and exercise duration were positively associated with CPT tolerance (p < .001; p = .011; p < .001). More PA was associated with higher CPT tolerance. At high levels of leisure-time PA and exercise intensity, men had a significantly higher CPT tolerance than women. Accelerometer-measured PA was not associated with CPT tolerance. CONCLUSIONS This study is one of the first to show that higher self-reported habitual PA was connected to higher experimental pain tolerance in a population-based sample, especially for men. This was not found for accelerometer-measured PA. SIGNIFICANCE This study finds that higher level of self-reported leisure-time physical activity is associated with increased cold pressor pain tolerance in a large population-based sample. Though present in both sexes, the association is strongest among men. Despite the robust dose-response relationship between pain tolerance and self-reported activity level, no such relationship was found for accelerometer-measured activity, reflecting a possible discrepancy in the aspect of physical activity measured. Though the study design does not permit causal conclusions, the findings suggest that increasing physical activity may increase pain tolerance in the general population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anders P Årnes
- Department of Pain, Department of Community Medicine, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway.,Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Christopher S Nielsen
- Division of Mental and Physical Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Pain Management and Research, Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Audun Stubhaug
- Department of Pain Management and Research, Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Mats K Fjeld
- Division of Mental and Physical Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Laila A Hopstock
- Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Alexander Horsch
- Department of Computer Science, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Aslak Johansen
- Department of Pain, Department of Community Medicine, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Bente Morseth
- School of Sport Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Tom Wilsgaard
- Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Tanshinone IIA contributes to the pathogenesis of endometriosis via renin angiotensin system by regulating the dorsal root ganglion axon sprouting. Life Sci 2020; 240:117085. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2019.117085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
|
6
|
Becker S, Bräscher AK, Bannister S, Bensafi M, Calma-Birling D, Chan RCK, Eerola T, Ellingsen DM, Ferdenzi C, Hanson JL, Joffily M, Lidhar NK, Lowe LJ, Martin LJ, Musser ED, Noll-Hussong M, Olino TM, Pintos Lobo R, Wang Y. The role of hedonics in the Human Affectome. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 102:221-241. [PMID: 31071361 PMCID: PMC6931259 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Experiencing pleasure and displeasure is a fundamental part of life. Hedonics guide behavior, affect decision-making, induce learning, and much more. As the positive and negative valence of feelings, hedonics are core processes that accompany emotion, motivation, and bodily states. Here, the affective neuroscience of pleasure and displeasure that has largely focused on the investigation of reward and pain processing, is reviewed. We describe the neurobiological systems of hedonics and factors that modulate hedonic experiences (e.g., cognition, learning, sensory input). Further, we review maladaptive and adaptive pleasure and displeasure functions in mental disorders and well-being, as well as the experience of aesthetics. As a centerpiece of the Human Affectome Project, language used to express pleasure and displeasure was also analyzed, and showed that most of these analyzed words overlap with expressions of emotions, actions, and bodily states. Our review shows that hedonics are typically investigated as processes that accompany other functions, but the mechanisms of hedonics (as core processes) have not been fully elucidated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Becker
- Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Anne-Kathrin Bräscher
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Mainz, Wallstr. 3, 55122 Mainz, Germany.
| | | | - Moustafa Bensafi
- Research Center in Neurosciences of Lyon, CNRS UMR5292, INSERM U1028, Claude Bernard University Lyon 1, Lyon, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, 95 bd Pinel, 69675 Bron Cedex, France.
| | - Destany Calma-Birling
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 800 Algoma, Blvd., Clow F011, Oshkosh, WI 54901, USA.
| | - Raymond C K Chan
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Tuomas Eerola
- Durham University, Palace Green, DH1 RL3, Durham, UK.
| | - Dan-Mikael Ellingsen
- Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, CNY149-2301, 13th St, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
| | - Camille Ferdenzi
- Research Center in Neurosciences of Lyon, CNRS UMR5292, INSERM U1028, Claude Bernard University Lyon 1, Lyon, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, 95 bd Pinel, 69675 Bron Cedex, France.
| | - Jamie L Hanson
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychology, 3939 O'Hara Street, Rm. 715, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA.
| | - Mateus Joffily
- Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique (GATE), 93 Chemin des Mouilles, 69130, Écully, France.
| | - Navdeep K Lidhar
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada.
| | - Leroy J Lowe
- Neuroqualia (NGO), 36 Arthur Street, Truro, NS, B2N 1X5, Canada.
| | - Loren J Martin
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada.
| | - Erica D Musser
- Department of Psychology, Center for Childen and Families, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA.
| | - Michael Noll-Hussong
- Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Saarland University Medical Centre, Kirrberger Strasse 100, D-66421 Homburg, Germany.
| | - Thomas M Olino
- Temple University, Department of Psychology, 1701N. 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19010, USA.
| | - Rosario Pintos Lobo
- Department of Psychology, Center for Childen and Families, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA.
| | - Yi Wang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Meuwissen KPV, van Beek M, Joosten EAJ. Burst and Tonic Spinal Cord Stimulation in the Mechanical Conflict-Avoidance System: Cognitive-Motivational Aspects. Neuromodulation 2019; 23:605-612. [PMID: 30974021 PMCID: PMC7496869 DOI: 10.1111/ner.12955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2018] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clinical research suggests that a novel spinal cord stimulation (SCS) waveform, known as Burst-SCS, specifically targets cognitive-motivational aspects of pain. The objective of the present study was to assess the cognitive-motivational aspects of Tonic- and Burst SCS-induced pain relief, by means of exit latency in the mechanical conflict-avoidance system (MCAS), in a rat model of chronic neuropathic pain. METHODS Exit latency on the MCAS operant testing setup was evaluated at various probe heights for rats (n = 26) with chronic neuropathic pain induced by a partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSNL). Von Frey paw withdrawal analysis was performed to assess mechanical hypersensitivity. In a second experiment (n = 12), the behavioral effect of Tonic SCS or biphasic Burst SCS on both Von Frey analysis and MCAS exit latency was assessed. RESULTS Burst SCS exit latencies differed significantly from Tonic SCS exit latencies at 4 mm probe height (3.8 vs. 5.8 sec, respectively; p < 0.01) and 5 mm probe height (3.2 vs. 5.4 sec respectively; p < 0.05). This difference was not detected with reflex-based Von Frey testing (Tonic-SCS vs. Burst-SCS at 30 min stimulation: p = 0.73, and at 60 min stimulation; p = 0.42). CONCLUSIONS Testing of MCAS exit latency allows for detection of cognitive-motivational pain relieving aspects induced by either Tonic- or Burst-SCS in treatment of chronic neuropathic rats. Our behavioral findings strongly suggest that Burst-SCS specifically affects, much more than Tonic-SCS, the processing of cognitive-motivational aspects of pain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Koen P V Meuwissen
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management, MUMC, Pain Management and Research Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Maarten van Beek
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management, MUMC, Pain Management and Research Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Elbert A J Joosten
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management, MUMC, Pain Management and Research Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Khariv V, Acioglu C, Ni L, Ratnayake A, Li L, Tao YX, Heary RF, Elkabes S. A link between plasma membrane calcium ATPase 2 (PMCA2), estrogen and estrogen receptor α signaling in mechanical pain. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17260. [PMID: 30467368 PMCID: PMC6250714 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35263-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Earlier studies on genetically modified mice indicated that plasma membrane calcium ATPase 2 (PMCA2), a calcium extrusion pump, plays a novel and sex-dependent role in mechanical pain responses: female, but not male, PMCA2+/− mice manifest increased mechanical pain compared to female PMCA2+/+ mice. The goal of the present studies was to determine the contribution of ovarian steroids to the genotype- and sex-dependent manifestation of mechanical pain in PMCA2+/+ versus PMCA2+/− mice. Ovariectomy increased mechanical pain sensitivity and 17β-estradiol (E2) replacement restored it to basal levels in PMCA2+/+ mice, but not in PMCA2+/− littermates. Intrathecal administration of an estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) agonist induced ERα signaling in the dorsal horn (DH) of female PMCA2+/+ mice, but was ineffective in PMCA2+/− mice. In male PMCA2+/+ and PMCA2+/− mice, E2 treatment following orchidectomy did not recapitulate the genotype-dependent differential pain responses observed in females and the agonist did not elicit ERα signaling. These findings establish a novel, female-specific link between PMCA2, ERα and mechanical pain. It is postulated that PMCA2 is essential for adequate ERα signaling in the female DH and that impaired ERα signaling in the female PMCA2+/− mice hinders the analgesic effects of E2 leading to increased sensitivity to mechanical stimuli.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Khariv
- Department of Neurological Surgery, The Reynolds Family Spine Laboratory, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers,The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA.,The School of Graduate Studies, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Cigdem Acioglu
- Department of Neurological Surgery, The Reynolds Family Spine Laboratory, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers,The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Li Ni
- Department of Neurological Surgery, The Reynolds Family Spine Laboratory, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers,The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Ayomi Ratnayake
- Department of Neurological Surgery, The Reynolds Family Spine Laboratory, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers,The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Lun Li
- Department of Neurological Surgery, The Reynolds Family Spine Laboratory, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers,The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA.,The School of Graduate Studies, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Yuan-Xiang Tao
- Department of Anesthesiology, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Robert F Heary
- Department of Neurological Surgery, The Reynolds Family Spine Laboratory, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers,The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Stella Elkabes
- Department of Neurological Surgery, The Reynolds Family Spine Laboratory, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers,The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
|
10
|
Ortíz-Rentería M, Juárez-Contreras R, González-Ramírez R, Islas LD, Sierra-Ramírez F, Llorente I, Simon SA, Hiriart M, Rosenbaum T, Morales-Lázaro SL. TRPV1 channels and the progesterone receptor Sig-1R interact to regulate pain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E1657-E1666. [PMID: 29378958 PMCID: PMC5816171 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1715972115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) ion channel is expressed in nociceptors where, when activated by chemical or thermal stimuli, it functions as an important transducer of painful and itch-related stimuli. Although the interaction of TRPV1 with proteins that regulate its function has been previously explored, their modulation by chaperones has not been elucidated, as is the case for other mammalian TRP channels. Here we show that TRPV1 physically interacts with the Sigma 1 Receptor (Sig-1R), a chaperone that binds progesterone, an antagonist of Sig-1R and an important neurosteroid associated to the modulation of pain. Antagonism of Sig-1R by progesterone results in the down-regulation of TRPV1 expression in the plasma membrane of sensory neurons and, consequently, a decrease in capsaicin-induced nociceptive responses. This is observed both in males treated with a synthetic antagonist of Sig-1R and in pregnant females where progesterone levels are elevated. This constitutes a previously undescribed mechanism by which TRPV1-dependent nociception and pain can be regulated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Ortíz-Rentería
- Departamento de Neurociencia Cognitiva, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Rebeca Juárez-Contreras
- Departamento de Neurociencia Cognitiva, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Ricardo González-Ramírez
- Departamento de Biología Molecular e Histocompatibilidad, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, Secretaría de Salud, 14080 Tlalpan, Ciudad de México, México
| | - León D Islas
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Félix Sierra-Ramírez
- Departamento de Neurociencia Cognitiva, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Itzel Llorente
- Departamento de Neurociencia Cognitiva, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Sidney A Simon
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710
| | - Marcia Hiriart
- Departamento de Neurociencia Cognitiva, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Tamara Rosenbaum
- Departamento de Neurociencia Cognitiva, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Sara L Morales-Lázaro
- Departamento de Neurociencia Cognitiva, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México;
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Hernandez-Leon A, De la Luz-Cuellar YE, Granados-Soto V, González-Trujano ME, Fernández-Guasti A. Sex differences and estradiol involvement in hyperalgesia and allodynia in an experimental model of fibromyalgia. Horm Behav 2018; 97:39-46. [PMID: 29080671 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2017] [Revised: 09/21/2017] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a musculoskeletal chronic pain syndrome. Its prevalence in women is higher than in men possibly by hormonal factors given that symptoms are aggravated during sex hormone-related events, such as the premenstrual period, pregnancy, postpartum or menopause. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether hyperalgesia and allodynia, in reserpine-induced experimental FM, depend on sex, estrous cycle, ovariectomy and replacement with 17β-estradiol. To fulfill this objective, we compared males, intact females with known estrous cycle phases and ovariectomized (OVX) rats treated with 17β-estradiol. Data demonstrated that reserpine administration disrupted the normal estrous cycle and produced that all females entered metestrus/diestrus. In addition, this treatment leads to muscle hyperalgesia and tactile allodynia in a similar manner in male and intact female rats. However, the absence of ovarian hormones (in OVX rats) increased muscle nociception. 17β-estradiol (2.5-10μg/rat) produced antihyperalgesic and antiallodynic effects 24h, but not 8h, after its administration, suggesting a genomic mechanism. The present results support the validity of the reserpine-induced FM model for searching alternatives of treatment, particularly during endocrine phases when pain is exacerbated such as menopause, and that 17β-estradiol replacement might be useful.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Hernandez-Leon
- Departamento de Farmacobiología, Cinvestav, Unidad Coapa, Calz. De los Tenorios 235, Col. Granjas Coapa, 14330 Mexico City, Mexico; Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Calz. México-Xochimilco 101, Col. San Lorenzo, Huipulco, 14370 Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Yarim Elideth De la Luz-Cuellar
- Departamento de Farmacobiología, Cinvestav, Unidad Coapa, Calz. De los Tenorios 235, Col. Granjas Coapa, 14330 Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Vinicio Granados-Soto
- Departamento de Farmacobiología, Cinvestav, Unidad Coapa, Calz. De los Tenorios 235, Col. Granjas Coapa, 14330 Mexico City, Mexico
| | - María Eva González-Trujano
- Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Calz. México-Xochimilco 101, Col. San Lorenzo, Huipulco, 14370 Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Alonso Fernández-Guasti
- Departamento de Farmacobiología, Cinvestav, Unidad Coapa, Calz. De los Tenorios 235, Col. Granjas Coapa, 14330 Mexico City, Mexico.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Knuesel C, Oulevey-Meier M, Flogerzi B, Krayer M, Gschossmann I, Miller J, Tovar L, Janko S, Gschossmann JM. Effect of estrogen on visceral sensory function in a non-inflammatory colonic hypersensitivity rat model. Neurogastroenterol Motil 2016; 28:1570-9. [PMID: 27230266 DOI: 10.1111/nmo.12857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2015] [Accepted: 04/18/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increased prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders in women and perimenstrually accentuated symptoms imply that sexual hormones play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of such syndromes. The aim of this study was to analyze the selective effect of estrogen on visceral sensitivity in gonadectomized female and male Lewis rats with or without prior treatment with butyrate enemas. METHODS Following ovariectomy (OVX) or orchiectomy (ORX) estradiol pellets (E2-P) or sham pellets (Sham-P) were implanted. After treatment with butyrate (BUT) or saline (NaCl) enemas, colorectal distensions (CRD) were performed and the visceromotor reflex (VMR) to CRD was measured by electromyography. KEY RESULTS Gender did not influence VMR to CRD in gonadectomized animals. VMR in E2-P animals compared to Sham-P animals was increased (635 ± 32 μVs vs 470 ± 39 μVs; p = 0.002). Overall, instillation of butyrate enemas did not influence VMR to CRD. A comparison of CRD clusters showed that butyrate enemas in the E2-P animals resulted in a significant sensitization in both OVX and ORX animals. In female rats, sensitization was also caused by estrogen substitution alone. CONCLUSION & INFERENCES In our animal model, estrogen is a strong factor for an increase in visceral sensory function. Surprisingly, the treatment with butyrate alone did not evoke a general rise in VMR to CRD. Rats treated with butyrate enemas and under selective estrogen substitution developed visceral sensitization during the series of CRDs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Knuesel
- Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital/University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Research, Inselspital/University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland
| | - M Oulevey-Meier
- Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital/University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Research, Inselspital/University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland
| | - B Flogerzi
- Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital/University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Research, Inselspital/University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland
| | - M Krayer
- Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital/University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Research, Inselspital/University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland
| | - I Gschossmann
- Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital/University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Research, Inselspital/University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland
| | - J Miller
- Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital/University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Research, Inselspital/University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland
| | - L Tovar
- Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital/University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Research, Inselspital/University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland
| | - S Janko
- Department of Statistics and Econometry, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany
| | - J M Gschossmann
- Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital/University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland. .,Department of Clinical Research, Inselspital/University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Coronel MF, Labombarda F, González SL. Neuroactive steroids, nociception and neuropathic pain: A flashback to go forward. Steroids 2016; 110:77-87. [PMID: 27091763 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2016.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Revised: 03/29/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The present review discusses the potential role of neurosteroids/neuroactive steroids in the regulation of nociceptive and neuropathic pain, and recapitulates the current knowledge on the main mechanisms involved in the reduction of pain, especially those occurring at the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, a crucial site for nociceptive processing. We will make special focus on progesterone and its derivative allopregnanolone, which have been shown to exert remarkable actions in order to prevent or reverse the maladaptive changes and pain behaviors that arise after nervous system damage in various experimental neuropathic conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- María F Coronel
- Laboratorio de Nocicepción y Dolor Neuropático, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, CONICET, Vuelta de Obligado 2490, C1428ADN, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Facultad de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Austral, Presidente Perón 1500, B1629AHJ, Pilar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Florencia Labombarda
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica Neuroendócrina, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, CONICET, Vuelta de Obligado 2490, C1428ADN, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Departamento de Bioquímica Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Susana L González
- Laboratorio de Nocicepción y Dolor Neuropático, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, CONICET, Vuelta de Obligado 2490, C1428ADN, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Departamento de Bioquímica Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay 2155, C1121ABG, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Robarge JD, Duarte DB, Shariati B, Wang R, Flockhart DA, Vasko MR. Aromatase inhibitors augment nociceptive behaviors in rats and enhance the excitability of sensory neurons. Exp Neurol 2016; 281:53-65. [PMID: 27072527 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2016.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2016] [Revised: 03/28/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Although aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are commonly used therapies for breast cancer, their use is limited because they produce arthralgia in a large number of patients. To determine whether AIs produce hypersensitivity in animal models of pain, we examined the effects of the AI, letrozole, on mechanical, thermal, and chemical sensitivity in rats. In ovariectomized (OVX) rats, administering a single dose of 1 or 5mg/kg letrozole significantly reduced mechanical paw withdrawal thresholds, without altering thermal sensitivity. Repeated injection of 5mg/kg letrozole in male rats produced mechanical, but not thermal, hypersensitivity that extinguished when drug dosing was stopped. A single dose of 5mg/kg letrozole or daily dosing of letrozole or exemestane in male rats also augmented flinching behavior induced by intraplantar injection of 1000nmol of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP). To determine whether sensitization of sensory neurons contributed to AI-induced hypersensitivity, we evaluated the excitability of neurons isolated from dorsal root ganglia of male rats chronically treated with letrozole. Both small and medium-diameter sensory neurons isolated from letrozole-treated rats were more excitable, as reflected by increased action potential firing in response to a ramp of depolarizing current, a lower resting membrane potential, and a lower rheobase. However, systemic letrozole treatment did not augment the stimulus-evoked release of the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) from spinal cord slices, suggesting that the enhanced nociceptive responses were not secondary to an increase in peptide release from sensory endings in the spinal cord. These results provide the first evidence that AIs modulate the excitability of sensory neurons, which may be a primary mechanism for the effect of these drugs to augment pain behaviors in rats.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jason D Robarge
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States; Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States.
| | - Djane B Duarte
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States; Laboratório de Farmacologia Molecular, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil.
| | - Behzad Shariati
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States.
| | - Ruizhong Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States.
| | - David A Flockhart
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States; Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States.
| | - Michael R Vasko
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Vacca V, Marinelli S, Pieroni L, Urbani A, Luvisetto S, Pavone F. 17beta-estradiol counteracts neuropathic pain: a behavioural, immunohistochemical, and proteomic investigation on sex-related differences in mice. Sci Rep 2016; 6:18980. [PMID: 26742647 PMCID: PMC4705539 DOI: 10.1038/srep18980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2015] [Accepted: 09/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Sex differences play a role in pain sensitivity, efficacy of analgesic drugs and prevalence of neuropathic pain, even if the underlying mechanisms are far from being understood. We demonstrate that male and female mice react differently to structural and functional changes induced by sciatic nerve ligature, used as model of neuropathic pain. Male mice show a gradual decrease of allodynia and a complete recovery while, in females, allodynia and gliosis are still present four months after neuropathy induction. Administration of 17β-estradiol is able to significantly attenuate this difference, reducing allodynia and inducing a complete recovery also in female mice. Parallel to pain attenuation, 17β-estradiol treated-mice show a functional improvement of the injured limb, a faster regenerative process of the peripheral nerve and a decreased neuropathy-induced gliosis. These results indicate beneficial effects of 17β-estradiol on neuropathic pain and neuronal regeneration and focuses on the importance of considering gonadal hormones also in clinical studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Vacca
- CNR-National Research Council, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, 00143 Roma, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00143 Roma, Italy
| | - Sara Marinelli
- CNR-National Research Council, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, 00143 Roma, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00143 Roma, Italy
| | - Luisa Pieroni
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00143 Roma, Italy.,Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Division of Biochemistry, University of "Tor Vergata", 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Andrea Urbani
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00143 Roma, Italy.,Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Division of Biochemistry, University of "Tor Vergata", 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Siro Luvisetto
- CNR-National Research Council, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, 00143 Roma, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00143 Roma, Italy
| | - Flaminia Pavone
- CNR-National Research Council, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, 00143 Roma, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00143 Roma, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Soens M, Wang JCF, Berta T, Strichartz G. Systemic Progesterone Administration in Early Life Alters the Hyperalgesic Responses to Surgery in the Adult: A Study on Female Rats. Anesth Analg 2015; 121:545-55. [PMID: 26076389 DOI: 10.1213/ane.0000000000000800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There has recently been a substantial increase in the survival of prematurely born neonates and an increase of in utero surgeries. Noxious stimulation in the newborn alters the pain response to injury in adult life. Progesterone, an effective antihyperalgesic agent in the adult, is at high concentration in the pregnant mother. Therefore, we investigated the effects of early-life progesterone on postsurgical outcomes in adult rats. METHODS Female rat pups were administered progesterone or vehicle during the first 7 days postpartum (P1-P7). A second control group had no injections. Half of each of these groups received an incision of the hindpaw at P3 and the other half did not. At P60, all groups of these now adult rats received a second paw incision. Tactile sensitivity and thermal sensitivity were measured weekly at P14-P42 (period I), at P60 (just before the second incision), and every 2 days of P61-P70 (period II). At P67, rats were fixed by systemic paraformaldehyde perfusion and their spinal cords taken for staining and immunocytochemical analysis of activated p-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. RESULTS Rats with surgery at P3 had greater tactile and thermal hyperalgesia in period I than the nonoperated rats, a difference abolished by progesterone treatment. P3 incision also resulted in long-lasting tactile and thermal hyperalgesia after the P60 incision (period II), both of which were markedly smaller in degree and faster to resolve in rats receiving early progesterone. Even in rats that were not operated on in period I, neonatal progesterone lessened the tactile hyperalgesia in period II. More spinal cells showed p-p38 staining in vehicle-treated rats as a result of the early-life incision but not in those treated with progesterone. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that endogenously high progesterone in utero may have a similarly protective action and that the development of nociceptive circuitry can be strongly influenced by neonatal progesterone.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mieke Soens
- From the *Women's Pain Group and the †Pain Research Center, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; and ‡Pain Signaling and Plasticity Laboratory, Departments of Anesthesiology and Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Kumar A, Liu NJ, Madia PA, Gintzler AR. Contribution of Endogenous Spinal Endomorphin 2 to Intrathecal Opioid Antinociception in Rats Is Agonist Dependent and Sexually Dimorphic. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2015; 16:1200-10. [PMID: 26342648 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2015.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2015] [Revised: 08/05/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Interactions between exogenous and endogenous opioids are not commonly investigated as a basis for sexually dimorphic opioid analgesia. We investigated the influence of spinal endomorphin 2 (EM2), an endogenous mu-opioid receptor (MOR) ligand, on the spinal antinociception produced by intrathecally administered opioids. Activation of spinal MORs facilitated spinal EM2 release. This effect was sexually dimorphic, occurring in males but not in females. Although activational effects of testosterone were required for opioid facilitation of spinal EM2 release in males, the absence of this facilitation in females did not result from either insufficient levels of testosterone or mitigating effects of estrogens. Strikingly, in males, the contribution of spinal EM2 to the analgesia produced by intrathecally applied MOR agonists depended on their analgesic efficacy relative to that of EM2. Spinal EM2 released by the higher efficacy MOR agonist sufentanil diminished sufentanil's analgesic effect, whereas EM2 released by the lower efficacy morphine had the opposite effect on spinal morphine antinociception. Understanding antithetical contributions of endogenous EM2 to intrathecal opioid antinociception not only enlightens the selection of opioid medications for pain management but also helps to explain variable sex dependence of the antinociception produced by different opioids, facilitating the acceptance of sexually dimorphic antinociception as a basic tenet. PERSPECTIVE The male-specific MOR-coupled enhancement of spinal EM2 release implies a parallel ability to harness endogenous EM2 antinociception. The inferred diminished ability of females to utilize the spinal EM2 antinociceptive system could contribute to their greater frequency and severity of chronic pain syndromes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arjun Kumar
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, State University of New York, Brooklyn, New York
| | - Nai-Jiang Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, State University of New York, Brooklyn, New York
| | - Priyanka A Madia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, State University of New York, Brooklyn, New York
| | - Alan R Gintzler
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, State University of New York, Brooklyn, New York.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Liu X, Li W, Dai L, Zhang T, Xia W, Liu H, Ma K, Xu J, Jin Y. Early repeated administration of progesterone improves the recovery of neuropathic pain and modulates spinal 18kDa-translocator protein (TSPO) expression. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2014; 143:130-40. [PMID: 24607808 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2014.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2013] [Revised: 02/20/2014] [Accepted: 02/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Although progesterone was reported to be a neuroprotective agent against injuries to the nervous system, including the peripheral neuropathy, the mechanisms of its dose or timing-related effects remain unclear. Translocator protein (TSPO) is predominantly located in the mitochondrial outer membrane and has been recently implicated in modulation of several brain injuries and nociception. This experiment was conducted using a rat model of L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) to observe the effects of progesterone against allodynia development in an 84-day period and to explore the spinal TSPO expression after treatment. Our results demonstrated that a 10-day progesterone treatment started right after injury at a dose of 15 mg/kg/d or more could significantly increase the mechanical thresholds within the 84-day observation period. Moreover, increased TSPO expression was observed in the ipsilateral spinal dorsal horn after SNL surgery and reached its peak on Day 14. A treatment regimen of pharmacological progesterone augmented this spinal TSPO activation and expression before Day 28 and after Day 56. Both the anti-nociception and TSPO activation augment effect of progesterone were completely abolished by 5α-reductase inhibitor finasteride but not progesterone receptor antagonist mifepristone. These results indicate that early repeated administration of progesterone could improve the recovery of neuropathic pain and modulate spinal TSPO activation which were dependent on its 5α-reductase metabolites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoming Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Nanjing Jinling Hospital, Nanjing, China.
| | - Weiyan Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, Nanjing Jinling Hospital, Nanjing, China
| | - Lihua Dai
- Department of Anesthesiology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Tingting Zhang
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Med-X Research Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Weiliang Xia
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Med-X Research Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongjun Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Nanjing Jinling Hospital, Nanjing, China
| | - Ke Ma
- Department of Anesthesiology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianguo Xu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Nanjing Jinling Hospital, Nanjing, China
| | - Yi Jin
- Department of Anesthesiology, Nanjing Jinling Hospital, Nanjing, China.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Repetitive noxious neonatal stimuli increases dentate gyrus cell proliferation and hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels. Hippocampus 2013; 24:415-23. [DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2013] [Revised: 11/22/2013] [Accepted: 12/02/2013] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
|
20
|
Amandusson Å, Blomqvist A. Estrogenic influences in pain processing. Front Neuroendocrinol 2013; 34:329-49. [PMID: 23817054 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2013.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2013] [Revised: 06/19/2013] [Accepted: 06/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Gonadal hormones not only play a pivotal role in reproductive behavior and sexual differentiation, they also contribute to thermoregulation, feeding, memory, neuronal survival, and the perception of somatosensory stimuli. Numerous studies on both animals and human subjects have also demonstrated the potential effects of gonadal hormones, such as estrogens, on pain transmission. These effects most likely involve multiple neuroanatomical circuits as well as diverse neurochemical systems and they therefore need to be evaluated specifically to determine the localization and intrinsic characteristics of the neurons engaged. The aim of this review is to summarize the morphological as well as biochemical evidence in support for gonadal hormone modulation of nociceptive processing, with particular focus on estrogens and spinal cord mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Åsa Amandusson
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden.
| | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
Liu NJ, Schnell S, Wessendorf MW, Gintzler AR. Sex, pain, and opioids: interdependent influences of sex and pain modality on dynorphin-mediated antinociception in rats. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2013; 344:522-30. [PMID: 23230215 PMCID: PMC11047259 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.112.199851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2012] [Accepted: 12/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of dynorphin A (1-17; Dyn) and its associated kappa opioid receptor (KOR) in nociception represents a longstanding scientific conundrum: Dyn and KOR (Dyn/KOR) have variously been reported to inhibit, facilitate, or have no effect on pain. We investigated whether interactions between sex and pain type (which are usually ignored) influenced Dyn/KOR-mediated antinociception. Blockade of the spinal α(2)-noradrenergic receptor (α(2)-NAR) using yohimbine elicited comparable spinal Dyn release in females and males. Nevertheless, the yohimbine-induced antinociception exhibited sexual dimorphism that depended on the pain test used: in the intraperitoneal acetic acid-induced writhing test, yohimbine produced antinociception only in females, whereas in the intraplantar formalin-induced paw flinch test, antinociception was observed only in males. In females and males, both intrathecal Dyn antibodies and spinal KOR blockade eliminated the yohimbine-induced antinociception, indicating that Dyn/KOR mediated it. However, despite the conditional nature of spinal Dyn/KOR-mediated yohimbine antinociception, both intraplantar formalin and intraperitoneal acetic acid activated spinal Dyn neurons that expressed α(2)-NARs. Moreover, Dyn terminals apposed KOR-expressing spinal nociceptive neurons in both sexes. This similar organization suggests that the sexually dimorphic interdependent effects of sex and pain type may result from the presence of nonfunctional (silent) KORs on nociceptive spinal neurons that are responsive to intraplantar formalin (in females) versus intraperitoneal acetic acid (in males). Our findings that spinal Dyn/KOR-mediated antinociception depends on interactions between sex and pain type underscore the importance of using both sexes and multiple pain models when investigating Dyn/KOR antinociception.
Collapse
MESH Headings
- Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Antagonists/pharmacology
- Animals
- Dynorphins/biosynthesis
- Dynorphins/metabolism
- Female
- Injections, Spinal
- Male
- Motor Neurons/drug effects
- Motor Neurons/metabolism
- Nociceptive Pain/drug therapy
- Nociceptive Pain/etiology
- Nociceptive Pain/metabolism
- Pain Measurement/drug effects
- Rats
- Rats, Sprague-Dawley
- Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-2/biosynthesis
- Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-2/metabolism
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/biosynthesis
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/metabolism
- Sex Characteristics
- Spinal Cord/drug effects
- Spinal Cord/metabolism
- Yohimbine/pharmacology
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nai-Jiang Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York 11203, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Sex differences in pain and pain inhibition: multiple explanations of a controversial phenomenon. Nat Rev Neurosci 2013; 13:859-66. [PMID: 23165262 DOI: 10.1038/nrn3360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 645] [Impact Index Per Article: 58.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A clear majority of patients with chronic pain are women; however, it has been surprisingly difficult to determine whether this sex bias corresponds to actual sex differences in pain sensitivity. A survey of the currently available epidemiological and laboratory data indicates that the evidence for clinical and experimental sex differences in pain is overwhelming. Various explanations for this phenomenon have been given, ranging from experiential and sociocultural differences in pain experience between men and women to hormonally and genetically driven sex differences in brain neurochemistry.
Collapse
|
23
|
The effect of progesterone on expression and development of neuropathic pain in a rat model of peripheral neuropathy. Eur J Pharmacol 2013; 699:207-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2012.11.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2012] [Revised: 11/27/2012] [Accepted: 11/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
24
|
|
25
|
Leppert W, Buss T. The role of corticosteroids in the treatment of pain in cancer patients. Curr Pain Headache Rep 2012; 16:307-13. [PMID: 22644902 PMCID: PMC3395343 DOI: 10.1007/s11916-012-0273-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Pain is one of the most frequent and most distressing symptoms in the course of cancer. The management of pain in cancer patients is based on the concept of the World Health Organization (WHO) analgesic ladder and was recently updated with the EAPC (European Association for Palliative Care) recommendations. Cancer pain may be relieved effectively with opioids administered alone or in combination with adjuvant analgesics. Corticosteroids are commonly used adjuvant analgesics and play an important role in neuropathic and bone pain treatment. However, in spite of the common use of corticosteroids, there is limited scientific evidence demonstrating their efficacy in cancer patients with pain. The use of corticosteroids in spinal cord compression, superior vena cava obstruction, raised intracranial pressure, and bowel obstruction is better established than in other nonspecific indications. This review aims to present the role of steroids in pain and management of other symptoms in cancer patients according to the available data, and discusses practical aspects of steroid use.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wojciech Leppert
- Department of Palliative Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
| | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
Cornil CA, Ball GF, Balthazart J. Rapid control of male typical behaviors by brain-derived estrogens. Front Neuroendocrinol 2012; 33:425-46. [PMID: 22983088 PMCID: PMC3496013 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2012.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2012] [Revised: 08/13/2012] [Accepted: 08/17/2012] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Beside their genomic mode of action, estrogens also activate a variety of cellular signaling pathways through non-genomic mechanisms. Until recently, little was known regarding the functional significance of such actions in males and the mechanisms that control local estrogen concentration with a spatial and time resolution compatible with these non-genomic actions had rarely been examined. Here, we review evidence that estrogens rapidly modulate a variety of behaviors in male vertebrates. Then, we present in vitro work supporting the existence of a control mechanism of local brain estrogen synthesis by aromatase along with in vivo evidence that rapid changes in aromatase activity also occur in a region-specific manner in response to changes in the social or environmental context. Finally, we suggest that the brain estrogen provision may also play a significant role in females. Together these data bolster the hypothesis that brain-derived estrogens should be considered as neuromodulators.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte A Cornil
- GIGA Neurosciences, Research Group in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Gintzler AR, Liu NJ. Importance of sex to pain and its amelioration; relevance of spinal estrogens and its membrane receptors. Front Neuroendocrinol 2012; 33:412-24. [PMID: 23036438 PMCID: PMC3778676 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2012.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2012] [Revised: 09/13/2012] [Accepted: 09/18/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Estrogens have a multitude of effects on opioid systems and are thought to play a key role in sexually dimorphic nociception and opioid antinociception. Heretofore, classical genomic actions of estrogens are largely thought to be responsible for the effects of these steroids on nociception and opioid antinociception. The recent discovery that estrogens can also activate estrogen receptors that are located in the plasma membrane, the effects of which are manifest in seconds to minutes instead of hours to days has revolutionized our thinking concerning the ways in which estrogens are likely to modulate pain responsiveness and the dynamic nature of that modulation. This review summarizes parameters of opioid functionality and nociception that are subject to modulation by estrogens, underscoring the added dimensions of such modulation that accrues from rapid membrane estrogen receptor signaling. Implications of this mode of signaling regarding putative sources of estrogens and its degradation are also discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alan R Gintzler
- State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Rollman GB, Abdel-Shaheed J, Gillespie JM, Jones KS. Does past pain influence current pain: biological and psychosocial models of sex differences. Eur J Pain 2012; 8:427-33. [PMID: 15324774 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpain.2004.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2003] [Accepted: 01/30/2004] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have generally indicated sizeable sex differences for both laboratory pain reactivity and clinical pain reports. Numerous biological and psychosocial models have been invoked to account for these findings, but the laboratory and clinical findings have generally been examined in isolation. This paper reviews data which show a relationship between past clinical pain experiences and current responses to experimentally induced pain. Individuals with a greater pain history tend to show lower pain tolerance. Since women often have high pain experience levels and lower pain tolerance, one might ask whether the two factors are related. We review several models, based upon concepts of neonatal differences in pain reactivity, hypervigilance following early pain experiences, and concepts of peripheral and central sensitization or plasticity which might help to bridge the gap between clinical and experimental findings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gary B Rollman
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ont., Canada N6A 5C2.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Coronel MF, Labombarda F, Roig P, Villar MJ, De Nicola AF, González SL. Progesterone Prevents Nerve Injury-Induced Allodynia and Spinal NMDA Receptor Upregulation in Rats. PAIN MEDICINE 2011; 12:1249-61. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2011.01178.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
|
30
|
Anabolic-androgenic steroid effects on nociception and morphine antinociception in male rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2011; 99:500-8. [PMID: 21586302 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2011.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2010] [Revised: 04/26/2011] [Accepted: 04/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of acute and chronic administration of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) on nociception and morphine antinociception in acute pain models, as well as on chronic inflammatory nociception. In Experiment 1, adult, gonadally intact male rats were injected s.c. for 28 days with either 5 mg/kg testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), stanozolol (STAN), or safflower oil vehicle (N=12-25/group). On day 28, rats in each group were tested on acute thermal and mechanical nociceptive assays, before and after morphine treatment. In Experiment 2, rats in each group (N=8-10/group) were injected with mineral oil or complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into one hindpaw after 28 days of AAS treatment, and then tested for thermal hyperalgesia, mechanical allodynia, inflammation and locomotor suppression intermittently for 28 days. Experiment 3 replicated nociceptive measurements in Experiments 1 and 2, but with a single AAS or vehicle injection occurring 3h prior to testing (N=10-12/group). While chronic AAS administration tended to decrease body weight gain and alter reproductive organ weights in the expected manner, it did not significantly alter acute nociception nor attenuate the development of various chronic pain indices after CFA administration. Morphine antinociceptive potency was significantly decreased by chronic DHT on the hot plate test only. Acute AAS administration also did not significantly alter acute or chronic nociception, or morphine antinociceptive potency. Comparisons between acute and chronic AAS administration suggest that steroid tolerance did not occur in rats treated with AAS chronically. Taken together, these data do not support the hypothesis that AAS exposure alters nociception or morphine antinociception in gonadally intact males.
Collapse
|
31
|
Hunter DA, Barr GA, Shivers KY, Amador N, Jenab S, Inturrisi C, Quinones-Jenab V. Interactions of estradiol and NSAIDS on carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia. Brain Res 2011; 1382:181-8. [PMID: 21281615 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.01.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2010] [Revised: 01/20/2011] [Accepted: 01/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
How exogenous estrogen affects inflammatory responses is poorly understood despite the large numbers of women receiving estrogen-alone hormone therapy. The aim of this study was to determine if estradiol alters injury- or inflammation-induced nociceptive responses after carrageenan administration in females and whether its effects are mediated through cyclo-oxygenase (COX) and prostaglandins (PG). To this end, paw withdrawal latencies and serum levels of PGE2 and PGD2 were measured in rats treated with estradiol (0, 10, 20, and 30%) and/or SC560 (COX-1 inhibitor) or NS398 (COX-2 inhibitor) after intraplantar carrageenan administration. Estradiol significantly increased withdrawal latencies before (baseline condition) and after carrageenan administration to one hindpaw. NS398 was anti-nociceptive only in carrageenan treated animals. SC560 increased withdrawal latencies in both paws at 1 and 5hours after carrageenan administration. Co-administration of estradiol and NS398, but not SC560, was additive except for a prolonged anti-nociceptive effects of estradiol combined with NS398. The anti-nociceptive effect extended beyond that observed with either drug or estradiol alone at the 5-hour time point. Estradiol had no significant effect on PGE2 serum levels, but both COX antagonists decreased them. Although neither estradiol nor the COX inhibitors alone had an effect on PGD2 serum levels, co-administration of NS398 and estradiol significantly elevated PGD2 levels. Taken together, our results suggest that estradiol is anti-nociceptive in the thermal test and reduces carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia. These effects are minimally altered through PG-mediated mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Deirtra A Hunter
- Hunter College and The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, NY, 10065, USA; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Patte-Mensah C, Meyer L, Mensah-Nyagan AG. Steroids, spinal cord and pain sensation. Horm Mol Biol Clin Investig 2011; 7:377-84. [DOI: 10.1515/hmbci.2011.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2011] [Accepted: 08/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
AbstractDuring the whole life, the nervous system is continuously submitted to the actions of different categories of hormones, including steroids. Therefore, the interactions between hormonal compounds and neural tissues are subjected to intense investigations. While a majority of studies focus on the brain, the spinal cord (SC) has received little attention, although this structure is also an important part of the central nervous system, controlling motor and sensory functions. To point out the importance of interactions between hormones and the SC in the regulation of neurobiological activities, we recapitulated and discussed herein various key data, revealing that the pivotal role played by the SC in nociception and pain modulation, directly depends on the SC ability to metabolize and synthesize steroidal molecules. The paper suggests that future investigations aiming to develop effective strategies against chronic pain, must integrate regulatory effects exerted by hormonal steroids on the SC activity, as well as the actions of endogenous neurosteroids locally synthesized in spinal neural networks.
Collapse
|
33
|
Vishali N, Kamakshi K, Suresh S, Prakash S. Red clover Trifolium pratense (Linn.) isoflavones extract on the pain threshold of normal and ovariectomized rats - a long-term study. Phytother Res 2010; 25:53-8. [DOI: 10.1002/ptr.3217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
|
34
|
Zhong YQ, Li KC, Zhang X. Potentiation of excitatory transmission in substantia gelatinosa neurons of rat spinal cord by inhibition of estrogen receptor alpha. Mol Pain 2010; 6:92. [PMID: 21143988 PMCID: PMC3016347 DOI: 10.1186/1744-8069-6-92] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2010] [Accepted: 12/11/2010] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Background It has been shown that estrogen is synthesized in the spinal dorsal horn and plays a role in modulating pain transmission. One of the estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes, estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), is expressed in the spinal laminae I-V, including substantia gelatinosa (SG, lamina II). However, it is unclear how ERs are involved in the modulation of nociceptive transmission. Results In the present study, a selective ERα antagonist, methyl-piperidino-pyrazole (MPP), was used to test the potential functional roles of spinal ERα in the nociceptive transmission. Using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique, we examined the effects of MPP on SG neurons in the dorsal root-attached spinal cord slice prepared from adult rats. We found that MPP increased glutamatergic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) evoked by the stimulation of either Aδ- or C-afferent fibers. Further studies showed that MPP treatment dose-dependently increased spontaneous EPSCs frequency in SG neurons, while not affecting the amplitude. In addition, the PKC was involved in the MPP-induced enhancement of synaptic transmission. Conclusions These results suggest that the selective ERα antagonist MPP pre-synaptically facilitates the excitatory synaptic transmission to SG neurons. The nociceptive transmission evoked by Aδ- and C-fiber stimulation could be potentiated by blocking ERα in the spinal neurons. Thus, the spinal estrogen may negatively regulate the nociceptive transmission through the activation of ERα.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Qing Zhong
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Botelho AP, Gameiro GH, Tuma CEDSN, Marcondes FK, de Arruda Veiga MCF. The effects of acute restraint stress on nociceptive responses evoked by the injection of formalin into the temporomandibular joint of female rats. Stress 2010; 13:269-75. [PMID: 20392197 DOI: 10.3109/10253890903362645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) formalin test was used to evaluate the effects of acute restraint stress on the nociceptive behavioral responses of female rats during proestrus and estrus phases of the estrous cycle. Rats were subjected to one session of restraint stress (15, 30 min or 1 h). They were then either immediately killed to allow the collection of blood for hormonal radioimmunoassay determinations or subjected to TMJ formalin test to evaluate nociception. All stress protocols significantly raised the plasma concentrations of corticosterone. The performance of rats subjected to 15 and 30 min of restraint stress was similar to that of control rats, whereas rats that were stressed for 1 h showed a decrease in nociceptive responses, during both proestrus and estrus phases. The stress-induced analgesia (SIA) was greater in the proestrus phase. To evaluate the role of kappa-opioid receptors, the selective receptor kappa-opioid antagonist nor-binaltorphimine (nor-BNI; 200 microg or saline) was injected into the TMJ 24 h prior to the 1 h stress period and the TMJ formalin test. The local administration of nor-BNI partially reversed the SIA during the proestrus phase. These findings suggest that (1) acute stress for 1 h can produce analgesia both during proestrus and estrus phases; this effect is greater during the proestrus phase and (2) kappa-opioid receptor activation is involved in the SIA observed in the proestrus phase.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Paula Botelho
- Laboratory of Orofacial Pain, Department of Physiological Sciences, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
36
|
Hubscher CH, Fell JD, Gupta DS. Sex and hormonal variations in the development of at-level allodynia in a rat chronic spinal cord injury model. Neurosci Lett 2010; 477:153-6. [PMID: 20434524 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2010.04.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2010] [Revised: 04/20/2010] [Accepted: 04/21/2010] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The development of central neuropathic pain varies among patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). The factors contributing to the development and perpetuation of segmental pain (at-level allodynia) has been the focus of ongoing experiments in our laboratory. One such factor is hormonal status. We have shown previously, using a male rat model of SCI, that a severe contusion injury is necessary for the development of allodynia in trunk regions at and just above the level of a T8 injury. In this study, we examined at-level sensitivity for SCI ovariectomized (ovx) and cycling female rats as well as for SCI males implanted with either a placebo pellet or one that slowly releases 17beta-estradiol. The proportion of ovx SCI female rats and placebo-treated SCI males displaying pain-like behaviors to touch/pressure of at-level dermatomes up to 6 weeks post-injury (67% and 75%, respectively) was similar to our previous studies on SCI males (69%). In contrast, significantly fewer cycling SCI female rats and 17beta-estradiol treated SCI male rats showed sensitivity to touch at-level (26% and 30%, respectively). These results implicate 17beta-estradiol as a potential target that can readily be modulated to prevent segmental pain following SCI.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charles H Hubscher
- Department of Anatomical Sciences & Neurobiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
LaPrairie JL, Murphy AZ. Long-term impact of neonatal injury in male and female rats: Sex differences, mechanisms and clinical implications. Front Neuroendocrinol 2010; 31:193-202. [PMID: 20144647 PMCID: PMC2849925 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2010.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2009] [Revised: 02/01/2010] [Accepted: 02/03/2010] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Over the last several decades, the relative contribution of early life events to individual disease susceptibility has been explored extensively. Only fairly recently, however, has it become evident that abnormal or excessive nociceptive activity experienced during the perinatal period may permanently alter the normal development of the CNS and influence future responses to somatosensory input. Given the significant rise in the number of premature infants receiving high-technology intensive care over the last 20 years, ex-preterm neonates may be exceedingly vulnerable to the long-term effects of repeated invasive interventions. The present review summarizes available clinical and laboratory findings on the lasting impact of exposure to noxious stimulation during early development, with a focus on the structural and functional alterations in nociceptive circuits, and its sexually dimorphic impact.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jamie L LaPrairie
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, 38 Peachtree Center Ave, 806 GCB, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
38
|
Fan X, Xu H, Warner M, Gustafsson JÅ. ERβ in CNS: New Roles in Development and Function. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2010; 181:233-50. [DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(08)81013-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
|
39
|
Mogil JS, Bailey AL. Sex and gender differences in pain and analgesia. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2010; 186:141-57. [PMID: 21094890 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-53630-3.00009-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
It is a clinical reality that women make up the large majority of chronic pain patients, and there is now consensus from laboratory experiments that when differences are seen, women are more sensitive to pain than men. Research in this field has now begun to concentrate on finding explanations for this sex difference. Although sex differences in sociocultural, psychological, and experiential factors likely play important roles, evidence largely from animal studies has revealed surprisingly robust and often qualitative sex differences at low levels of the neuraxis. Although not yet able to affect clinical practice, the continued study of sex differences in pain may have important implications for the development of new analgesic strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey S Mogil
- Department of Psychology and Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
| | | |
Collapse
|
40
|
Mensah-Nyagan AG, Meyer L, Schaeffer V, Kibaly C, Patte-Mensah C. Evidence for a key role of steroids in the modulation of pain. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2009; 34 Suppl 1:S169-77. [PMID: 19577851 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2009] [Revised: 05/11/2009] [Accepted: 06/06/2009] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Neurotransmitters such as glutamate, substance P, serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid pivotally control pain mechanisms. It is also well known that inflammatory and/or neuropathic pain may depend on the action of diverse cytokines and other molecules including eicosanoids, endorphins, calcitonin-gene related peptide, free radicals and transcription factors. Because steroids control the development, activities and plasticity of the nervous system, these compounds are of particular interest in the modulation of pain. The paper discusses various data supporting the existence of key regulatory effects of steroids in the control of pain. In particular, we analyzed three categories of observations which historically contributed to demonstrate that endogenous and synthetic steroids play a crucial role in the regulation of neurobiological processes involved in pain sensation. The first series of data, which present the chemical characteristics enabling steroids to act on several tissues, also summarize pertinent results supporting the modulation of pain sensation by steroidal compounds. The second category of data evokes psychosocial, fundamental and clinical results suggesting the existence of sex steroid-based differences in pain perception. Finally, we discuss recent evidence showing the endogenous production of neurosteroids and their effects in the spinal cord which crucially controls pain transmission. Taken together, the data reviewed herein suggest that future investigations aiming to develop effective steroid-based strategies against chronic pain must integrate in a complementary manner anti-inflammatory properties of steroids, sex steroid-induced dimorphism in pain perception and regulatory effects exerted by endogenous neurosteroids in pain neural circuits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ayikoe G Mensah-Nyagan
- Equipe Stéroïdes, Neuromodulateurs et Neuropathologies, Université de Strasbourg, Bâtiment 3 de la Faculté de Médecine, 11 Rue Humann, 67000 Strasbourg, France.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
41
|
Chen Y, Cui Y, Lin JW, Xiang QL, Liu WF, Wang TH. Modulatory role of estradiol in nicotinic antinociception in adult female rats. Life Sci 2009; 85:91-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2009.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2009] [Revised: 04/30/2009] [Accepted: 04/30/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
|
42
|
Tambeli CH, Levine JD, Gear RW. Centralization of noxious stimulus-induced analgesia (NSIA) is related to activity at inhibitory synapses in the spinal cord. Pain 2009; 143:228-232. [PMID: 19375225 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2009.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2008] [Revised: 02/03/2009] [Accepted: 03/05/2009] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The duration of noxious stimulus-induced antinociception (NSIA) has been shown to outlast the pain stimulus that elicited it, however, the mechanism that determines the duration of analgesia is unknown. We evaluated the role of spinal excitatory and inhibitory receptors (NMDA, mGluR(5), mu-opioid, GABA(A), and GABA(B)), previously implicated in NSIA initiation, in its maintenance. As in our previous studies, the supraspinal trigeminal jaw-opening reflex (JOR) in the rat was used for nociceptive testing because of its remoteness from the region of drug application, the lumbar spinal cord. NSIA was reversed by antagonists for two inhibitory receptors (GABA(B) and mu-opioid) but not by antagonists for either of the two excitatory receptors (NMDA and mGluR(5)), indicating that NSIA is maintained by ongoing activity at inhibitory synapses in the spinal cord. Furthermore, spinal administration of the GABA(B) agonist baclofen mimicked NSIA in that it could be blocked by prior injection of the mu-opioid receptor antagonist H-D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Arg-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH(2) (CTAP) in nucleus accumbens. CTAP also blocked baclofen antinociception when administered in the spinal cord. We conclude that analgesia induced by noxious stimulation is maintained by activity in spinal inhibitory receptors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia H Tambeli
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, NIH Pain Center (UCSF), University of California at San Francisco, Rm C-522, Box 0440, San Francisco, CA 94143-0440, USA Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA Faculty of Dentistry of Piracicaba, University of Campinas, Brazil
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Piu F, Cheevers C, Hyldtoft L, Gardell LR, Del Tredici AL, Andersen CB, Fairbairn LC, Lund BW, Gustafsson M, Schiffer HH, Donello JE, Olsson R, Gil DW, Brann MR. Broad modulation of neuropathic pain states by a selective estrogen receptor beta agonist. Eur J Pharmacol 2008; 590:423-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2008.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2008] [Revised: 04/25/2008] [Accepted: 05/19/2008] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
44
|
Gintzler AR, Schnell SA, Gupta DS, Liu NJ, Wessendorf MW. Relationship of Spinal Dynorphin Neurons to δ-Opioid Receptors and Estrogen Receptor α: Anatomical Basis for Ovarian Sex Steroid Opioid Antinociception. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2008; 326:725-31. [DOI: 10.1124/jpet.108.139816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
|
45
|
Greenspan JD, Craft RM, LeResche L, Arendt-Nielsen L, Berkley KJ, Fillingim RB, Gold MS, Holdcroft A, Lautenbacher S, Mayer EA, Mogil JS, Murphy AZ, Traub RJ. Studying sex and gender differences in pain and analgesia: a consensus report. Pain 2007; 132 Suppl 1:S26-S45. [PMID: 17964077 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2007.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 700] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2007] [Accepted: 10/09/2007] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In September 2006, members of the Sex, Gender and Pain Special Interest Group of the International Association for the Study of Pain met to discuss the following: (1) what is known about sex and gender differences in pain and analgesia; (2) what are the "best practice" guidelines for pain research with respect to sex and gender; and (3) what are the crucial questions to address in the near future? The resulting consensus presented herein includes input from basic science, clinical and psychosocial pain researchers, as well as from recognized experts in sexual differentiation and reproductive endocrinology. We intend this document to serve as a utilitarian and thought-provoking guide for future research on sex and gender differences in pain and analgesia, both for those currently working in this field as well as those still wondering, "Do I really need to study females?"
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joel D Greenspan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Maryland Dental School, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201-1510, USA Research Center for Neuroendocrine Influences on Pain, Baltimore, MD 21201-1510, USA Department of Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4820, USA Department of Oral Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-6370, USA Laboratory for Experimental Pain Research, Department of Health Science and Technology, Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7, DK-9220 Aalborg, Denmark Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA Department of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science, University of Florida College of Dentistry, Gainesville, FL 32610-3628, USA Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA Division of Surgery, Oncology, Reproductive Biology and Anaesthetics, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Imperial College, London SW10 9NH, UK Department of Physiological Psychology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg 96045, Germany Center for Neurovisceral Sciences and Women's Health, and Departments of Medicine, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, and Physiology, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 900095-1792, USA Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada PQ H3A 1B1 Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303-0389, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
46
|
Fan X, Kim HJ, Warner M, Gustafsson JÅ. Estrogen receptor beta is essential for sprouting of nociceptive primary afferents and for morphogenesis and maintenance of the dorsal horn interneurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007; 104:13696-701. [PMID: 17693550 PMCID: PMC1959444 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0705936104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Estrogen is known to influence pain, but the specific roles of the two estrogen receptors (ERs) in the spinal cord are unknown. In the present study, we have examined the expression of ERalpha and ERbeta in the spinal cord and have looked for defects in pain pathways in ERbeta knockout (ERbeta(-/-)) mice. In the spinal cords of 10-month-old WT mice, ERbeta-positive cells were localized in lamina II, whereas ERalpha-positive cells were mainly localized in lamina I. In ERbeta(-/-) mice, there were higher levels of calcitonin gene-regulated peptide and substance P in spinal cord dorsal horn and isolectin B4 in the dorsal root ganglion. In the superficial layers of the spinal cord, there was a decrease in the number of calretinin (CR)-positive neurons, and in the outer layer II, there was a loss of calbindin-positive interneurons. During embryogenesis, ERbeta was first detectable in the spinal cord at embryonic day 13.5 (E13.5), and ERalpha was first detectable at E15.5. During middle and later embryonic stages, ERbeta was abundantly expressed in the superficial layers of the dorsal horn. ERalpha was also expressed in the dorsal horn but was limited to fewer neurons. Double staining for ERbeta and CR showed that, in the superficial dorsal horn of WT neonates [postnatal day 0 (P0)], most CR neurons also expressed ERbeta. At this stage, few CR-positive cells were detected in the dorsal horn of ERbeta(-/-) mice. Taken together, these findings suggest that, early in embryogenesis, ERbeta is involved in dorsal horn morphogenesis and in sensory afferent fiber projections to the dorsal horn and that ERbeta is essential for survival of dorsal horn interneurons throughout life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaotang Fan
- *Division of Medical Nutrition, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, Novum, SE-141 86 Stockholm, Sweden; and
- Department of Neurobiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, People's Republic of China
| | - Hyun-Jin Kim
- *Division of Medical Nutrition, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, Novum, SE-141 86 Stockholm, Sweden; and
| | - Margaret Warner
- *Division of Medical Nutrition, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, Novum, SE-141 86 Stockholm, Sweden; and
| | - Jan-Åke Gustafsson
- *Division of Medical Nutrition, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, Novum, SE-141 86 Stockholm, Sweden; and
- To whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Stening K, Eriksson O, Wahren L, Berg G, Hammar M, Blomqvist A. Pain sensations to the cold pressor test in normally menstruating women: comparison with men and relation to menstrual phase and serum sex steroid levels. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2007; 293:R1711-6. [PMID: 17652363 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00127.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The role of gonadal hormones on pain sensations was investigated in normally menstruating women (n = 16) using the cold pressor test. Tolerance time, pain threshold, and pain intensity were examined once a week during a 4-wk period, and serum concentrations of 17beta-estradiol and progesterone were determined at each test session, which were classified into the early follicular phase, late follicular phase, early luteal phase, and late luteal phase, as determined by the first day of menses and the actual hormone levels recorded. A group of men (n = 10) of the same age interval was examined for comparison. The data show that pain threshold was reduced during the late luteal phase compared with the late follicular phase, and hormone analyses showed significant positive correlation between the progesterone concentration and lowered pain threshold and increasing pain intensity. Hormone analysis also showed an interaction between S-estradiol and S-progesterone on pain intensity, demonstrating that the increased perceived pain intensity that was associated with high progesterone concentrations was significantly reduced with increasing levels of estradiol. While no statistically significant sex differences in pain measurements were found, women displayed much more pronounced, and statistically significant, session-to-session effects than men, with increased pain threshold and decreased pain intensity with each test session. Hence, these data suggest that the changes in the serum concentration of gonadal hormones that occur during the menstrual cycle influence pain sensations elicited by noxious tonic cold stimulation and show that adaptation to the cold pressor test may be sex dependent.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kent Stening
- Division of Cell Biology, Department of Biomedicine and Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, S-581 85 Linköping, Sweden
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Liu NJ, von Gizycki H, Gintzler AR. Sexually Dimorphic Recruitment of Spinal Opioid Analgesic Pathways by the Spinal Application of Morphine. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2007; 322:654-60. [PMID: 17488879 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.107.123620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Current evidence for sex-based nociception and antinociception, largely confined to behavioral measures of pain sensitivity, chronic pain syndromes, and analgesic efficacy, provides little mechanistic insights into biological substrates causally associated with sexual dimorphic pain experience. Spinal cord has been shown to be a central nervous system region in which regulation of opioid antinociceptive substrates manifest sexual dimorphism. This site was therefore chosen to explore whether or not differential mechanisms underlie comparable spinal opioid antinociception in male and female rodents. Intrathecal (i.t.) application of morphine to male and female rats produces a thermal antinociception equivalent in magnitude and temporal profile. Nevertheless, it results from the sex-based differential recruitment of spinal analgesic components. As expected, the spinal micro-opioid receptor is critical for i.t. morphine antinociception in both sexes. However, in females, but not males, activation by i.t. morphine of spinal kappa-opioid receptors is a prerequisite for spinal morphine antinociception. Furthermore, in females, but not males, i.t. application of antidynorphin antibodies substantially attenuates the antinociception produced by i.t. morphine. This indicates that the antinociception that results from the i.t. application of morphine in females requires the functional recruitment of spinal dynorphin. Female-specific recruitment by i.t. morphine of a spinal dynorphin/kappa-opioid receptor pathway results from organizational consequences of ovarian sex steroids and not the absence of testicular hormones. These observations suggest that sexual dimorphic pain and analgesic mechanisms might be far more pervasive than commonly thought and underscore the imperative for including female as well as male subjects in all studies of pain and antinociception.
Collapse
MESH Headings
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn
- Antibodies/immunology
- Antibodies/pharmacology
- Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
- Dynorphins/immunology
- Female
- Injections, Spinal
- Male
- Morphine/administration & dosage
- Morphine/pharmacology
- Naltrexone/analogs & derivatives
- Naltrexone/pharmacology
- Narcotic Antagonists/pharmacology
- Neural Pathways/drug effects
- Neural Pathways/physiology
- Orchiectomy
- Ovariectomy
- Pain Threshold/drug effects
- Rats
- Rats, Sprague-Dawley
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/antagonists & inhibitors
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/physiology
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/antagonists & inhibitors
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/physiology
- Sex Factors
- Spinal Cord/drug effects
- Spinal Cord/physiology
- Sufentanil/pharmacology
- Virilism/chemically induced
- Virilism/physiopathology
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nai-Jiang Liu
- Department of Biochemistry, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Gaumond I, Spooner MF, Marchand S. Sex differences in opioid-mediated pain inhibitory mechanisms during the interphase in the formalin test. Neuroscience 2007; 146:366-74. [PMID: 17306464 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2007.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2006] [Revised: 12/16/2006] [Accepted: 01/04/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Many chronic pain conditions are more prevalent in women than men and both fundamental and clinical research supports the implication of endogenous pain inhibitory mechanisms. The goal of this study was to verify if sex differences on endogenous pain inhibitory mechanisms during the formalin test are opioidergic and modulated by sex hormones. Formalin tests were performed with naloxone hydrochloride, a non-selective opioid antagonist in intact and gonadectomized Sprague-Dawley rats of both sexes. Considering the sexual dimorphisms we found, where naloxone preferentially blocked the interphase in female rats, injections of all the possible combinations of mu- (naltrexone hydrochloride), delta- (naltrindole hydrochloride) and kappa-selective antagonists (norbinaltorphimine dihydrochloride) were given to evaluate the contribution of these opioid-receptor subtypes to the inhibitory mechanism during the interphase in intact females. Finally, the systemic administration of naloxone methiodide and intrathecal administration of naloxone hydrochloride in intact females allowed us to verify if the action of endogenous opioids that are liberated during the interphase takes place at the periphery or spinally, respectively. The results show that the interphase was almost completely inhibited by naloxone in females while it produced only a slight blockade in males. These results permitted us to conclude that opioids play a major role in the pain inhibitory mechanism of the interphase in females while a non-opioid mechanism seems to be responsible for this inhibitory pathway in males. Using gonadectomized animals of both sexes, we demonstrated the modulation of the opioidergic system of the interphase by sex hormones. The administration of different combinations of selective antagonists for mu-, kappa- and delta-opioid receptors in intact females permitted us to conclude that only the combination of kappa- and delta-selective antagonists significantly blocked the interphase. The same result was obtained with the combination of the three antagonists, confirming the results with systemic naloxone hydrochloride. Finally, intrathecal administration permitted us to support that the action of naloxone is primarily at the spinal level, even if a supraspinal action cannot be ruled out. These results are of particular interest in showing sexual dimorphisms in endogenous pain modulation mechanisms during the interphase of the formalin test. A clearer understanding of the difference between male and female endogenous pain inhibitory pathways should lead to a better understanding of the role of endogenous pain modulation deficits in certain chronic pain conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- I Gaumond
- Département des Sciences de la Santé, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, 445 Boulevard de l'Université, Rouyn-Noranda, Québec, Canada J9X 5E4
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
50
|
Gupta DS, von Gizycki H, Gintzler AR. Sex-/Ovarian Steroid-Dependent Release of Endomorphin 2 from Spinal Cord. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2007; 321:635-41. [PMID: 17308039 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.106.118505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Mu-opioid receptor (MOR) agonists have been shown to be more potent analgesics in male than female rodents. Regulation of spinal MOR-coupled antinociception by 17beta-estradiol (estrogen, E2) and progesterone (P) is also sexually dimorphic; pregnancy levels of E2/P activate MOR-coupled analgesic pathways in male but not female rats. We hypothesized that the sexual dimorphic characteristics of MOR-coupled antinociception reflects sexual dimorphism in the regulation of the release from spinal cord of the endogenous MOR agonist, endomorphin 2 (EM2). Parameters of spinal EM2 release manifesting sexual dimorphism include its 1) magnitude: in vitro basal and K+-evoked release of EM2 from spinal tissue of male rats is approximately 50% greater than that observed from spinal cord of females; 2) modulation by ovarian sex steroids: E2/P treatment significantly enhanced K+-evoked EM2 release from spinal tissue of males, but not females; and 3) enhancement by opioid receptor blockade: naloxone enhanced stimulated EM2 release from spinal tissue of both males and females, but it augmented basal release from spinal tissue of only males. Enhancement of EM2 release by naloxone reflects negative coupling of MOR to EM2 release and hence its modulation by negative feedback since only activation of MOR, not kappa-or delta-opioid receptors, was able to inhibit evoked EM2 release. These data reveal that the EM2-MOR spinal analgesic system is more robust and "higher gain" in male versus female rodents. These findings could provide a mechanistic rubric for understanding the male female dichotomy in prevalence and intensity of chronic pain syndromes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daya S Gupta
- Box 8, Department of Biochemistry, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|