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Liu C, Lin MTY, Lee IXY, Wong JHF, Lu D, Lam TC, Zhou L, Mehta JS, Ong HS, Ang M, Tong L, Liu YC. Neuropathic Corneal Pain: Tear Proteomic and Neuromediator Profiles, Imaging Features, and Clinical Manifestations. Am J Ophthalmol 2024; 265:6-20. [PMID: 38521157 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajo.2024.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE To investigate the tear proteomic and neuromediator profiles, in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) imaging features, and clinical manifestations in neuropathic corneal pain (NCP) patients. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. METHODS A total of 20 NCP patients and 20 age-matched controls were recruited. All subjects were evaluated by corneal sensitivity, Schirmer test, tear break-up time, and corneal and ocular surface staining, Ocular Surface Disease Index and Ocular Pain Assessment Survey questionnaires were administered, as well as IVCM examinations for corneal nerves, microneruomas, and epithelial and dendritic cells. Tears were collected for neuromediator and proteomic analysis using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry. RESULTS Burning and sensitivity to light were the 2 most common symptoms in NCP. A total of 188 significantly dysregulated proteins, such as elevated metallothionein-2, creatine kinases B-type, vesicle-associated membrane protein 2, neurofilament light polypeptide, and myelin basic protein, were identified in the NCP patients. The top 10 dysregulated biological pathways in NCP include neurotoxicity, axonal signaling, wound healing, neutrophil degradation, apoptosis, thrombin signaling mitochondrial dysfunction, and RHOGDI and P70S6K signaling pathways. Compared to controls, the NCP cohort presented with significantly decreased corneal sensitivity (P < .001), decreased corneal nerve fiber length (P = .003), corneal nerve fiber density (P = .006), and nerve fiber fractal dimension (P = .033), as well as increased corneal nerve fiber width (P = .002), increased length, total area and perimeter of microneuromas (P < .001, P < .001, P = .019), smaller corneal epithelial size (P = .017), and higher nerve growth factor level in tears (P = .006). CONCLUSIONS These clinical manifestations, imaging features, and molecular characterizations would contribute to the diagnostics and potential therapeutic targets for NCP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Liu
- From Tissue Engineering and Cell Therapy Group (C.L., M.T.-Y.L., I.X.Y.L., J.S.M., H.S.O., Y.-C.L.), Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore; Cornea and Refractive Surgery Group (C.L., J.S.M., H.S.O., Y.-C.L.), Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore
| | - Molly Tzu-Yu Lin
- From Tissue Engineering and Cell Therapy Group (C.L., M.T.-Y.L., I.X.Y.L., J.S.M., H.S.O., Y.-C.L.), Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore
| | - Isabelle Xin Yu Lee
- From Tissue Engineering and Cell Therapy Group (C.L., M.T.-Y.L., I.X.Y.L., J.S.M., H.S.O., Y.-C.L.), Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore
| | - Jipson Hon Fai Wong
- Clinical Research Platform (J.H.F.W.), Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore
| | - Daqian Lu
- Centre for Myopia Research (D.L., T.C.L.), School of Optometry, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - Thomas Chuen Lam
- Centre for Myopia Research (D.L., T.C.L.), School of Optometry, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong; Centre for Eye and Vision Research (CEVR) (T.C.L.), Hong Kong
| | - Lei Zhou
- School of Optometry (L.Z.), Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, Research Centre for SHARP Vision (RCSV); The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - Jodhbir S Mehta
- From Tissue Engineering and Cell Therapy Group (C.L., M.T.-Y.L., I.X.Y.L., J.S.M., H.S.O., Y.-C.L.), Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore; Cornea and Refractive Surgery Group (C.L., J.S.M., H.S.O., Y.-C.L.), Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore; Department of Cornea and External Eye Disease (J.S.M., H.S.O., M.A., L.T., Y.-C.L.), Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore; Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Program (J.S.M., H.S.O., M.A., Y.-C.L.), Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Hon Shing Ong
- From Tissue Engineering and Cell Therapy Group (C.L., M.T.-Y.L., I.X.Y.L., J.S.M., H.S.O., Y.-C.L.), Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore; Cornea and Refractive Surgery Group (C.L., J.S.M., H.S.O., Y.-C.L.), Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore; Department of Cornea and External Eye Disease (J.S.M., H.S.O., M.A., L.T., Y.-C.L.), Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore; Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Program (J.S.M., H.S.O., M.A., Y.-C.L.), Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Marcus Ang
- Department of Cornea and External Eye Disease (J.S.M., H.S.O., M.A., L.T., Y.-C.L.), Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore; Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Program (J.S.M., H.S.O., M.A., Y.-C.L.), Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Louis Tong
- Department of Cornea and External Eye Disease (J.S.M., H.S.O., M.A., L.T., Y.-C.L.), Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore; Ocular Surface Research Group (L.T.), Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore; Eye Academic Clinical Program (L.T.), Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; Department of Ophthalmology (L.T.), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yu-Chi Liu
- From Tissue Engineering and Cell Therapy Group (C.L., M.T.-Y.L., I.X.Y.L., J.S.M., H.S.O., Y.-C.L.), Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore; Cornea and Refractive Surgery Group (C.L., J.S.M., H.S.O., Y.-C.L.), Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore; Department of Cornea and External Eye Disease (J.S.M., H.S.O., M.A., L.T., Y.-C.L.), Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore; Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Program (J.S.M., H.S.O., M.A., Y.-C.L.), Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; Department of Ophthalmology (Y.-C.L.), National Taiwan University, Taiwan.
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Huang J, Lin F, Hu Y, Bloe CB, Wang D, Zhang W. From Initiation to Maintenance: HIV-1 Gp120-induced Neuropathic Pain Exhibits Different Molecular Mechanisms in the Mouse Spinal Cord Via Bioinformatics Analysis Based on RNA Sequencing. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 2022; 17:553-575. [PMID: 35059976 DOI: 10.1007/s11481-021-10044-1] [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: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), remains one of the most diverse crucial health and development challenges around the world. People infected with HIV constitute a large patient population, and a significant number of them experience neuropathic pain. To study the key mechanisms that mediate HIV-induced neuropathic pain (HNP), we established an HNP mouse model via intrathecal injection of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120. The L3~L5 spinal cord was isolated on postoperative days 1/12 (POD1/12), 1 (POD1), and 14 (POD14) for RNA sequencing to investigate the gene expression profiles of the initiation, transition, and maintenance stages of HNP. A total of 1682, 430, and 413 differentially expressed genes were obtained in POD1/12, POD1, and POD14, respectively, and their similarity was low. Bioinformatics analysis confirmed that POD1/12, POD1, and POD14 exhibited different biological processes and signaling pathways. Inflammation, oxidative damage, apoptosis, and inflammation-related signaling pathways were enriched on POD1/12. Inflammation, chemokine activity, and downstream signaling regulated by proinflammatory cytokines, such as the MTOR signaling pathway, were enriched on POD1, while downregulation of ion channel activity, mitochondrial damage, endocytosis, MAPK and neurotrophic signaling pathways developed on POD14. Additionally, we screened key genes and candidate genes, which were verified at the transcriptional and translational levels. Our results suggest that the initiation and maintenance of HNP are regulated by different molecular mechanisms. Therefore, our research may yield a fresh and deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying HNP, providing accurate molecular targets for HNP therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Huang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Fei Lin
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yanling Hu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chris Bloe Bloe
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Dan Wang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wenping Zhang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
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Wang L, Lao J. Microarray analysis of potential biomarkers of brachial plexus avulsion caused neuropathic pain in male rat. BMC Neurosci 2022; 23:31. [PMID: 35619085 PMCID: PMC9134582 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-022-00717-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the expression of mRNA in the brachial plexus avulsion neuropathic pain model and analyze biological functions. Microarray mRNA assay and reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were conducted. The whole blood was collected from two groups for Microarray mRNA analysis. The predicted mRNA targets were studied by gene ontology analysis and pathway analysis. We identified 3 targeted mRNAs, including PIK3CB, HRAS, and JUN. The results showed that PIK3CB, HRAS, and JUN gene expression was increased in the control group but decreased in the neuropathic pain group. These findings indicate that certain genes may be important biomarkers for the potential targets for the prevention and treatment of brachial plexus avulsion caused neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Wang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Affiliated Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Medical School, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jie Lao
- Department of Hand Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Hand Reconstruction, Ministry of Health, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Peripheral Nerve and Microsurgery, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
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Xu D, Ma X, Sun C, Han J, Zhou C, Chan MTV, Wu WKK. Emerging roles of circular RNAs in neuropathic pain. Cell Prolif 2021; 54:e13139. [PMID: 34623006 PMCID: PMC8666284 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.13139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropathic pain is a major type of chronic pain caused by the disease or injury of the somatosensory nervous system. It afflicts about 10% of the general population with a significant proportion of patients’ refractory to conventional medical treatment. This highlights the importance of a better understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of neuropathic pain so as to drive the development of novel mechanism‐driven therapy. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a type of non‐coding, regulatory RNAs that exhibit tissue‐ and disease‐specific expression. An increasing number of studies reported that circRNAs may play pivotal roles in the development of neuropathic pain. In this review, we first summarize circRNA expression profiling studies on neuropathic pain. We also highlight the molecular mechanisms of specific circRNAs (circHIPK3, circAnks1a, ciRS‐7, cZRANB1, circZNF609 and circ_0005075) that play key functional roles in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain and discuss their potential diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic utilization in the clinical management of neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derong Xu
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Xuexiao Ma
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Chong Sun
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Jialuo Han
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Chuanli Zhou
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Matthew T V Chan
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care and Peter Hung Pain Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - William K K Wu
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care and Peter Hung Pain Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.,State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, LKS Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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