1
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Ständer S, Schmelz M. Skin Innervation. J Invest Dermatol 2024; 144:1716-1723. [PMID: 38402477 DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2023.10.047] [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: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
All layers and appendages of the skin are densely innervated by afferent and efferent neurons providing sensory information and controlling skin perfusion and sweating. In mice, neuronal functions have been comprehensively linked to unique single-cell expression patterns and to characteristic arborization of nerve endings in skin and dorsal horn, whereas for humans, specific molecular markers for functional classes of afferent neurons are still lacking. Moreover, bidirectional communication between sensory neurons and local skin cells has become of particular interest, resulting in a broader physiological understanding of sensory function but also of trophic functions and immunomodulation in disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Ständer
- Department of Dermatology and Center for Chronic Pruritus, University Hospital, Münster, Germany
| | - Martin Schmelz
- Department of Experimental Pain Research, Mannheim Center for Translational Neuroscience (MCTN), Faculty of Medicine Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.
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2
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Kim B, Rothenberg ME, Sun X, Bachert C, Artis D, Zaheer R, Deniz Y, Rowe P, Cyr S. Neuroimmune interplay during type 2 inflammation: Symptoms, mechanisms, and therapeutic targets in atopic diseases. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2024; 153:879-893. [PMID: 37634890 PMCID: PMC11215634 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2023.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Type 2 inflammation is characterized by overexpression and heightened activity of type 2 cytokines, mediators, and cells that drive neuroimmune activation and sensitization to previously subthreshold stimuli. The consequences of altered neuroimmune activity differ by tissue type and disease; they include skin inflammation, sensitization to pruritogens, and itch amplification in atopic dermatitis and prurigo nodularis; airway inflammation and/or hyperresponsiveness, loss of expiratory volume, airflow obstruction and increased mucus production in asthma; loss of sense of smell in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps; and dysphagia in eosinophilic esophagitis. We describe the neuroimmune interactions that underlie the various sensory and autonomic pathologies in type 2 inflammatory diseases and present recent advances in targeted treatment approaches to reduce type 2 inflammation and its associated symptoms in these diseases. Further research is needed to better understand the neuroimmune mechanisms that underlie chronic, sustained inflammation and its related sensory pathologies in diseases associated with type 2 inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Kim
- Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology, Mark Lebwohl Center for Neuroinflammation and Sensation, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY.
| | - Marc E Rothenberg
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Xin Sun
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, Calif
| | - Claus Bachert
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany; First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, International Airway Research Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - David Artis
- Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Friedman Center for Nutrition and Inflammation, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY
| | | | - Yamo Deniz
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY
| | | | - Sonya Cyr
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY
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3
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Ojeda-Alonso J, Calvo-Enrique L, Paricio-Montesinos R, Kumar R, Zhang MD, Poulet JFA, Ernfors P, Lewin GR. Sensory Schwann cells set perceptual thresholds for touch and selectively regulate mechanical nociception. Nat Commun 2024; 15:898. [PMID: 38320986 PMCID: PMC10847425 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44845-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous work identified nociceptive Schwann cells that can initiate pain. Consistent with the existence of inherently mechanosensitive sensory Schwann cells, we found that in mice, the mechanosensory function of almost all nociceptors, including those signaling fast pain, were dependent on sensory Schwann cells. In polymodal nociceptors, sensory Schwann cells signal mechanical, but not cold or heat pain. Terminal Schwann cells also surround mechanoreceptor nerve-endings within the Meissner's corpuscle and in hair follicle lanceolate endings that both signal vibrotactile touch. Within Meissner´s corpuscles, two molecularly and functionally distinct sensory Schwann cells positive for Sox10 and Sox2 differentially modulate rapidly adapting mechanoreceptor function. Using optogenetics we show that Meissner's corpuscle Schwann cells are necessary for the perception of low threshold vibrotactile stimuli. These results show that sensory Schwann cells within diverse glio-neural mechanosensory end-organs are sensors for mechanical pain as well as necessary for touch perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Ojeda-Alonso
- Molecular Physiology of Somatic Sensation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Laura Calvo-Enrique
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Patología, Instituto de Neurociencias de Castilla y León, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Ricardo Paricio-Montesinos
- Neural Circuits and Behavior, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen e. V. (DZNE), Venusberg-Campus 1/99, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Rakesh Kumar
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology Washington University School of Medicine, CB 8108, 660 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Ming-Dong Zhang
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - James F A Poulet
- Neural Circuits and Behavior, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Patrik Ernfors
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Gary R Lewin
- Molecular Physiology of Somatic Sensation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125, Berlin, Germany.
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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Nguyen MB, Flora P, Branch MC, Weber M, Zheng XY, Sivan U, Joost S, Annusver K, Zheng D, Kasper M, Ezhkova E. Tenascin-C expressing touch dome keratinocytes exhibit characteristics of all epidermal lineages. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadi5791. [PMID: 38241368 PMCID: PMC10798558 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi5791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
The touch dome (TD) keratinocytes are specialized epidermal cells that intimately associate with the light touch sensing Merkel cells (MCs). The TD keratinocytes function as a niche for the MCs and can induce de novo hair follicles upon stimulation; however, how the TD keratinocytes are maintained during homeostasis remains unclear. scRNA-seq identified a specific TD keratinocyte marker, Tenascin-C (TNC). Lineage tracing of Tnc-expressing TD keratinocytes revealed that these cells maintain themselves as an autonomous epidermal compartment and give rise to MCs upon injury. Molecular characterization uncovered that, while the transcriptional and chromatin landscape of the TD keratinocytes is remarkably similar to that of the interfollicular epidermal keratinocytes, it also shares certain molecular signatures with the hair follicle keratinocytes. Our study highlights that the TD keratinocytes in the adult skin have molecular characteristics of keratinocytes of diverse epidermal lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minh Binh Nguyen
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Pooja Flora
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Meagan C. Branch
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Madison Weber
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Xiang Yu Zheng
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Unnikrishnan Sivan
- Department of Neurology, and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Simon Joost
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Karl Annusver
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Deyou Zheng
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Maria Kasper
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elena Ezhkova
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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Renkhold L, Wiegmann H, Pfleiderer B, Süer A, Zeidler C, Pereira MP, Schmelz M, Ständer S, Agelopoulos K. Scratching increases epidermal neuronal branching and alters psychophysical testing responses in atopic dermatitis and brachioradial pruritus. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1260345. [PMID: 37795274 PMCID: PMC10546039 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1260345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Chronic scratching imposes a major stress on the skin and can lead to itch intensity worsening, and consequently, patients may enter an itch-scratch cycle. This repetitive mechanical stress can result in lichenification, worsening of epidermal barrier function, and enhanced cutaneous inflammation. Furthermore, a reduction of intraepidermal nerve fibers was previously described in lichenification. Aim The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of chronic scratching on the epidermal neuroanatomy and on sensory changes, in particular the prevalence of hyperknesis and alloknesis in patients after mechanical, chemical, and electrical stimuli. Methods Analyses were performed on pruritic lichenified (chronically scratched), pruritic non-lichenified (not chronically scratched), and non-pruritic non-lesional (unaffected) skin areas of patients with inflammatory pruritus, i.e., atopic dermatitis (n = 35), and neuropathic pruritus, i.e., brachioradial pruritus (n = 34) vs. healthy matched controls (n = 64). Our fine-grained spatial skin characterization enabled specifically studying the differential effects of chronic scratching in inflammatory and neuropathic itch. Results Analysis of intraepidermal nerve fiber density showed rarefaction of fibers in all three skin areas of patients compared with healthy controls in both diagnoses. Even more, the two pruritic areas had significantly less nerve fibers than the unaffected skin, whereas electrically induced itch was massively increased. Epidermal branching of the remaining nerve fibers in lichenified/chronically scratched skin was increased, particularly in patients with brachioradial pruritus, which may contribute to the pronounced local neuronal sensitivity. Hyperknesis and alloknesis were found to increase independently of lichenification. Conclusion Our results indicate that chronic scratching may not affect intraepidermal nerve fiber density but leads to a stronger branching pattern of intraepidermal nerve fibers, which may contribute to local hypersensitivity. The increased sensitivity in the pruritic areas suggests mechanisms of peripheral sensitization, whereas the increased sensation of electrically and chemically induced itch in unaffected skin indicates central sensitization for itch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Renkhold
- Department of Dermatology and Centre for Chronic Pruritus, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Henning Wiegmann
- Department of Dermatology and Centre for Chronic Pruritus, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Bettina Pfleiderer
- Clinic of Radiology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Münster, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Aysenur Süer
- Institute of Medical Informatics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Claudia Zeidler
- Department of Dermatology and Centre for Chronic Pruritus, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Manuel P. Pereira
- Institute of Allergology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Allergology and Immunology, Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Schmelz
- Department of Experimental Pain Research, MCTN, Faculty of Medicine Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Sonja Ständer
- Department of Dermatology and Centre for Chronic Pruritus, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Konstantin Agelopoulos
- Department of Dermatology and Centre for Chronic Pruritus, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
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6
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Feng J, Duan B. Understanding neural mechanisms of mechanical itch. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2023; 152:32-35. [PMID: 37178728 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2023.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Feng
- Center for Neurological and Psychiatric Research and Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Bo Duan
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
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Kupari J, Ernfors P. Molecular taxonomy of nociceptors and pruriceptors. Pain 2023; 164:1245-1257. [PMID: 36718807 PMCID: PMC10184562 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jussi Kupari
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Patrik Ernfors
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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8
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Lu P, Zhao Y, Xie Z, Zhou H, Dong X, Wu GF, Kim BS, Feng J, Hu H. MrgprA3-expressing pruriceptors drive pruritogen-induced alloknesis through mechanosensitive Piezo2 channel. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112283. [PMID: 36961815 PMCID: PMC10514240 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Although touch and itch are coded by distinct neuronal populations, light touch also provokes itch in the presence of exogenous pruritogens, resulting in a phenomenon called alloknesis. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the initiation of pruritogen-induced mechanical itch sensitization are poorly understood. Here, we show that intradermal injections of histamine or chloroquine (CQ) provoke alloknesis through activation of TRPV1- and MrgprA3-expressing prurioceptors, and functional ablation of these neurons reverses pruritogen-induced alloknesis. Moreover, genetic ablation of mechanosensitive Piezo2 channel function from MrgprA3-expressing prurioceptors also dampens pruritogen-induced alloknesis. Mechanistically, histamine and CQ sensitize Piezo2 channel function, at least in part, through activation of the phospholipase C (PLC) and protein kinase C-δ (PKCδ) signaling. Collectively, our data find a TRPV1+/MrgprA3+ prurioceptor-Piezo2 signaling axis in the initiation of pruritogen-induced mechanical itch sensitization in the skin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Lu
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Center for the Study of Itch & Sensory Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yonghui Zhao
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Center for the Study of Itch & Sensory Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Zili Xie
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Center for the Study of Itch & Sensory Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Huan Zhou
- Center for Neurological and Psychiatric Research and Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xinzhong Dong
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Gregory F Wu
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Brian S Kim
- Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jing Feng
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Center for the Study of Itch & Sensory Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Center for Neurological and Psychiatric Research and Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Hongzhen Hu
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Center for the Study of Itch & Sensory Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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9
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Sensory nerve sprouting of human skin explants confers improved survival to Merkel cells independent of Merkel cell-neurite complexes. J Invest Dermatol 2023:S0022-202X(23)00157-4. [PMID: 36863447 DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2023.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
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10
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Gao X, Wang Z, Du L. Glial Cells and Itch: Possible Targets for Novel Antipruritic Therapies. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023; 14:331-339. [PMID: 36655585 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.2c00638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Glial cells, which are the non-neuronal cells of the nervous system, play essential roles in brain development, homeostasis, and diseases. Glial cells have attracted attention because of their active involvement in many neurological disorders. In recent years, substantial progress has been made in our understanding of the roles of glial cells in the pathogenesis of itch. Mechanistically, central and peripheral glial cells modulate acute and chronic pruritus via different mechanisms. In this review, we present the current knowledge about the involvement of glial cells in the modulation of itch processing and the mechanism of glial cell activation under itch stimuli. Targeting glial cells may provide novel approaches for itch therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyi Gao
- School of Basic Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Zhifei Wang
- School of Basic Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Lixia Du
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Basic Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
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