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Gao X, Yang Y, Zhu J, Zhang Y, Wang C, Wang Z, Mi W, Du L. Xanthotoxol relieves itch in mice via suppressing spinal GRP/GRPR signaling. Eur J Pharmacol 2023; 960:176147. [PMID: 37871763 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.176147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Although pruritus, commonly known as itch, is a common and debilitating symptom associated with various skin conditions, there is a lack of effective therapies available. Xanthotoxol (XAN), a biologically active linear furocoumarin, shows potential in the treatment of various neurological disorders. In this study, we discovered that administering XAN either through intraperitoneal or intrathecal injections effectively reduced scratching behavior induced by compound 48/80 or chloroquine. Importantly, XAN also substantially alleviates chronic itch in dry skin and allergic contact dermatitis mice. Substantial progress has highlighted the crucial role of gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP)-gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) signaling in the dorsal spinal cord in transmitting various types of itch. Our behavior tests revealed that XAN significantly alleviated scratching behaviors induced by intrathecal administration of GRP or GRPR agonist bombesin. Furthermore, XAN reduced the activation of neurons in the spinal cord caused by intrathecal administration of GRP in mice. Moreover, XAN attenuates the activation of spinal GRPR-positive neurons in itchy mice. These findings suggest that XAN mitigates itch in mice by suppressing spinal GRP/GRPR signaling, thereby establishing XAN as a promising therapeutic option for treating pruritus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyi Gao
- School of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Yayue Yang
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Institutes of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Acupuncture Mechanism and Acupoint Function, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Jianyu Zhu
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Institutes of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Acupuncture Mechanism and Acupoint Function, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yuxin Zhang
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Institutes of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Acupuncture Mechanism and Acupoint Function, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Chenghao Wang
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Institutes of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Acupuncture Mechanism and Acupoint Function, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Zhifei Wang
- School of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China.
| | - Wenli Mi
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Institutes of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Acupuncture Mechanism and Acupoint Function, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Lixia Du
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China.
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Haruta-Tsukamoto A, Kanemaru-Kawazoe A, Kogoh Y, Miyahara Y, Funahashi H, Hirano Y, Nishimori T, Ishida Y. Role of kainate receptors in pruriceptive processing in the mouse spinal cord. Eur J Pharmacol 2023; 957:175998. [PMID: 37597648 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.175998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
Pruritus, including neuropathic and psychogenic pruritus, is an unpleasant feeling that causes a desire to scratch, which negatively impacts physical and psychological aspects of daily life. Nonetheless, little is known about the neural mechanisms involved in pruritus. Glutamate is a predominant excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system and exerts its effects by binding to various glutamate receptors, including kainate (KA) receptors; however, the precise involvement of each glutamate receptor in pruriceptive processing remains unclear, particularly that of KA receptors. Therefore, the roles of KA receptors in histamine-dependent and -independent itch were investigated using CNQX, an AMPA/KA receptors antagonist, UBP310 and UBP302, antagonists of KA receptors, and small interfering (si)RNAs against KA receptor subunits in mice with acute and chronic pruritus. The effects of KA receptor antagonists on histamine-induced c-Fos expression in the spinal cord were also examined. The intrathecal administration of CNQX reduced the number of scratching events induced by histamine and chloroquine. On the other hand, UBP310 or UBP302 and the siRNAs of KA receptor subunits 1-3 significantly inhibited the induction of scratching events in mice treated with histamine, while no significant change was observed in the induction of spontaneous scratching events in mice with chronic pruritus. In addition, antagonists of KA receptors attenuated c-Fos expression in the superficial layers of the dorsal horn induced by histamine. These results indicate that KA receptors are involved in acute pruriceptive processing in the spinal cord induced by histamine, but not chloroquine or chronic itch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayaka Haruta-Tsukamoto
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan; Nozaki Hospital, 5567 Tsunehisa, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki, 880-0916, Japan.
| | - Anna Kanemaru-Kawazoe
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan
| | - Yoichiro Kogoh
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan
| | - Yu Miyahara
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan
| | - Hideki Funahashi
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan
| | - Yoji Hirano
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan
| | - Toshikazu Nishimori
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan
| | - Yasushi Ishida
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan
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Haruta-Tsukamoto A, Miyahara Y, Funahashi H, Nishimori T, Ishida Y. Perampanel attenuates scratching behavior induced by acute or chronic pruritus in mice. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 533:1102-1108. [PMID: 33028486 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.09.109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
An itch is defined as an unpleasant sensation that evokes a desire to scratch. Glutamate is a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system and has a crucial role in pruriceptive processing in the spinal dorsal horn. It is well known that glutamate exerts its effects by binding to various glutamate receptors including α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors, and that AMPA/kainate receptors play a crucial role in pruriceptive processing; however, the precise role of AMPA receptors remains uncertain. Perampanel, an antiepileptic drug, is an antagonist of AMPA receptors. Pretreatment with perampanel dose-dependently attenuated the induction of scratching, a behavior typically associated with pruritus, by intradermal administration of the pruritogen chloroquine. In addition, the induction of scratching in mice painted with diphenylcyclopropenone and NC/Nga mice treated with Biostir AD, animal models of contact dermatitis and atopic dermatitis, respectively, was dose-dependently alleviated by administration of perampanel. These findings indicate that AMPA receptors play a crucial role in pruriceptive processing in mice with acute or chronic pruritus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayaka Haruta-Tsukamoto
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki-city, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan
| | - Yu Miyahara
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki-city, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan
| | - Hideki Funahashi
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki-city, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan
| | - Toshikazu Nishimori
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki-city, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan
| | - Yasushi Ishida
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki-city, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan.
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Li NQ, Tang Y, Huang ST, Liu XT, Zeng LP, Li H, Wan L. Modulation of NR1 receptor by CaMKIIα plays an important role in chronic itch development in mice. Brain Res Bull 2020; 158:66-76. [PMID: 32112850 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2020.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 02/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Intractable scratching is the characteristic of chronic itch, which represents a great challenge in clinical practice. However, the mechanism underlying chronic itch development is largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated the role of NMDA receptor in acute itch and in development of chronic itch. A mouse model was developed by painting DNFB to induce allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). We found that the expression of pNR1, which is a subunit of NMDA receptor, was significantly increased in the dorsal root ganglion in the DNFB model. The DNFB-evoked spontaneous scratching was blocked by the NMDA antagonist D-AP-5, the calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMK) inhibitor KN-93, a CaMKIIα siRNA and the PKC inhibitor LY317615. Moreover, activation of PKC did not reverse the CaMKIIα knockdown-induced decrease in scratching, suggesting that PKC functions upstream of CaMKIIα. Thus, our study indicates that modulation of NR1 receptor by CaMKIIα plays an important role in the development of chronic itch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan-Qi Li
- Department of Pain Management, The State Key Clinical Specialty in Pain Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510260, P.R. China
| | - Yang Tang
- Department of Pain Management, The State Key Clinical Specialty in Pain Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510260, P.R. China
| | - Si-Ting Huang
- Department of Pain Management, The State Key Clinical Specialty in Pain Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510260, P.R. China
| | - Xue-Ting Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Allergy & Clinic Immunology, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510260, P.R. China
| | - Li-Ping Zeng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Allergy & Clinic Immunology, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510260, P.R. China
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P.R. China
| | - Li Wan
- Department of Pain Management, The State Key Clinical Specialty in Pain Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510260, P.R. China.
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The Neuropeptide Y System Regulates Both Mechanical and Histaminergic Itch. J Invest Dermatol 2018; 138:2405-2411. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2018.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Revised: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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Ajayi AAL. Itching, chloroquine, and malaria: a review of recent molecular and neuroscience advances and their contribution to mechanistic understanding and therapeutics of chronic non-histaminergic pruritus. Int J Dermatol 2018; 58:880-891. [PMID: 30362504 DOI: 10.1111/ijd.14252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Revised: 08/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Chloroquine (CQ) is an antimalarial drug that elicits severe pruritus in black Africans with malaria fever. This acute itching (2-7 days duration) exhibits age dependency and a racial and genetic predilection. CQ itch is non-histaminergic, which makes it both a good model and a tool to probe the mechanisms of chronic itch. This review focuses on recently discovered mechanisms, neuroscience, mediators, and receptors that are implicated in molecular studies of CQ pruritus. CQ pruritus mechanisms are also compared to that of itching following other systemic diseases, such as chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease, skin disorders, and burns. There are striking similarities between CQ itching pathways and other chronic itch secondary to systemic disease with or without skin lesions, which have not been previously highlighted. Prominent among these are the shared roles of skin, neural and spinal μ opiate receptors, kappa opiate receptor, nitric oxide, serotonin via 5HT1B/D receptors, cytokines, especially interleukins, and tumor necrosis factor. There is elaborate "cross talk" among the diverse mediators and receptors involved in CQ-induced pruritus. CQ also binds to the mas-related G protein coupled receptors MrgprA3/MrgprX1 present in a small proportion (4-5%) of dorsal root ganglion neurons and skin. The mrgprA3 CQ receptors are coupled to PLC-β3 and a chloride channel to initiate skin itch action potentials in C nerve fibers. Mrgpra3/X1 couples to TRPA1 for calcium influx into neuronal cells at noncutaneous sites. Central CQ itch occurs via gastrin-related peptide (GRP) and its receptor (GRPR) in the dorsal spinothalamic tracts, as well as glutamic mediated GRP projection to parabrachial nucleus. The possibility of chronic itch therapy based on personalized medicine, genetics, and transcriptomics or the use of itch "polypill/polycream" are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adesuyi A L Ajayi
- Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
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Ferrari A, Rustichelli C, Baraldi C. Glutamate receptor antagonists with the potential for migraine treatment. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2017; 26:1321-1330. [PMID: 29050521 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2017.1395411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Preclinical, clinical, and other (e.g., genetic) evidence support the concept that migraine susceptibility may at least partially result from a glutamatergic system disorder. Therefore, the receptors of the glutamatergic system are considered relatively new targets for investigational drugs to treat migraine. Investigational and established glutamate receptor antagonists (GluRAs) have been shown to possess antinociceptive properties in preclinical models of trigeminovascular nociception and have been evaluated in clinical trials. This review focuses on preclinical and clinical studies of GluRAs for the treatment of migraine. Areas covered: A PubMed database search (from 1987 to December 2016) and a review of published studies on GluRAs in migraine were conducted. Expert opinion: All published clinical trials of investigational GluRAs have been unsuccessful in establishing benefit for acute migraine treatment. Clinical trial results contrast with the preclinical data, suggesting that glutamate (Glu) does not play a decisive role after the attack has already been triggered. These antagonists may instead be useful for migraine prophylaxis. Improving patient care requires further investigating and critically analyzing the role of Glu in migraine, designing experimental models to study more receptors and their corresponding antagonists, and identifying biomarkers to facilitate trials designed to target specific subgroups of migraine patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Ferrari
- a Unit of Medical Toxicology, Headache and Drug Abuse Centre; Department of Diagnostic, Clinical and Public Health Medicine , University of Modena and Reggio Emilia , Modena , Italy
| | - Cecilia Rustichelli
- b Department of Life Sciences , University of Modena and Reggio Emilia , Modena , Italy
| | - Carlo Baraldi
- a Unit of Medical Toxicology, Headache and Drug Abuse Centre; Department of Diagnostic, Clinical and Public Health Medicine , University of Modena and Reggio Emilia , Modena , Italy
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