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Groenink L, Verdouw PM, Zhao Y, Ter Heegde F, Wever KE, Bijlsma EY. Pharmacological modulation of conditioned fear in the fear-potentiated startle test: a systematic review and meta-analysis of animal studies. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:2361-2401. [PMID: 36651922 PMCID: PMC10593622 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06307-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES Fear conditioning is an important aspect in the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders. The fear-potentiated startle test is based on classical fear conditioning and over the years, a broad range of drugs have been tested in this test. Synthesis of the available data may further our understanding of the neurotransmitter systems that are involved in the expression of conditioned fear. METHODS Following a comprehensive search in Medline and Embase, we included 68 research articles that reported on 103 drugs, covering 56 different drug classes. The systematic review was limited to studies using acute, systemic drug administration in naive animals. RESULTS Qualitative data synthesis showed that most clinically active anxiolytics, but not serotonin-reuptake inhibitors, reduced cued fear. Anxiogenic drugs increased fear potentiation in 35% of the experiments, reduced fear potentiation in 29% of the experiments, and were without effect in 29% of the experiments. Meta-analyses could be performed for five drug classes and showed that benzodiazepines, buspirone, 5-HT1A agonists, 5-HT1A antagonists, and mGluR2,3 agonists reduced cued conditioned fear. The non-cued baseline startle response, which may reflect contextual anxiety, was only significantly reduced by benzodiazepines and 5-HT1A antagonists. No associations were found between drug effects and methodological characteristics, except for strain. CONCLUSIONS The fear-potentiated startle test appears to have moderate to high predictive validity and may serve as a valuable tool for the development of novel anxiolytics. Given the limited available data, the generally low study quality and high heterogeneity additional studies are warranted to corroborate the findings of this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucianne Groenink
- Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - P Monika Verdouw
- Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Yulong Zhao
- Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Freija Ter Heegde
- Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Kimberley E Wever
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Medicine, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 10, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Elisabeth Y Bijlsma
- Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Ter Heegde F, Luiz AP, Santana-Varela S, Chessell IP, Welsh F, Wood JN, Chenu C. Noninvasive Mechanical Joint Loading as an Alternative Model for Osteoarthritic Pain. Arthritis Rheumatol 2019; 71:1078-1088. [PMID: 30638309 PMCID: PMC6618037 DOI: 10.1002/art.40835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Objective Mechanisms responsible for osteoarthritic (OA) pain remain poorly understood, and current analgesic therapies are often insufficient. This study was undertaken to characterize and pharmacologically test the pain phenotype of a noninvasive mechanical joint loading model of OA, thus providing an alternative murine model for OA pain. Methods The right knees of 12‐week‐old male C57BL/6 mice were loaded at 9N or 11N (40 cycles, 3 times per week for 2 weeks). Behavioral measurements of limb disuse and mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity were acquired before mechanical joint loading and monitored for 6 weeks postloading. The severity of articular cartilage lesions was determined postmortem with the Osteoarthritis Research Society International scoring system. To assess efficacy of various treatments for pain, 9N‐loaded mice were treated for 4 weeks with diclofenac (10 mg/kg), gabapentin (100 mg/kg), or anti–nerve growth factor (anti‐NGF) (3 mg/kg). Results Mechanical hypersensitivity and weight bearing worsened significantly in 9N‐loaded mice (n = 8) and 11N‐loaded mice (n = 8) 2 weeks postloading, compared to baseline values and nonloaded controls. Maximum OA scores of ipsilateral knees confirmed increased cartilage lesions in 9N‐loaded mice (mean ± SEM 2.8 ± 0.2; P < 0.001) and 11N‐loaded mice (5.3 ± 0.3; P < 0.001), compared to nonloaded controls (1.0 ± 0.0). Gabapentin and diclofenac restored pain behaviors to baseline values after 2 weeks of daily treatment, and gabapentin was more effective than diclofenac. A single injection of anti‐NGF alleviated nociception 2 days after treatment and remained effective for 2 weeks, with a second dose inducing stronger and more prolonged analgesia. Conclusion Our findings show that mechanical joint loading induces OA lesions in mice and a robust pain phenotype that can be reversed using analgesics known to alleviate OA pain in patients. This establishes the use of mechanical joint loading as an alternative model for the study of OA pain.
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Bangash MA, Alles SRA, Santana-Varela S, Millet Q, Sikandar S, de Clauser L, Ter Heegde F, Habib AM, Pereira V, Sexton JE, Emery EC, Li S, Luiz AP, Erdos J, Gossage SJ, Zhao J, Cox JJ, Wood JN. Distinct transcriptional responses of mouse sensory neurons in models of human chronic pain conditions. Wellcome Open Res 2018. [PMID: 30079380 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres10.12688/wellcomeopenres.14641.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Sensory neurons play an essential role in almost all pain conditions, and have recently been classified into distinct subsets on the basis of their transcriptomes. Here we have analysed alterations in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) gene expression using microarrays in mouse models related to human chronic pain. Methods: Six different pain models were studied in male C57BL/6J mice: (1) bone cancer pain using cancer cell injection in the intramedullary space of the femur; (2) neuropathic pain using partial sciatic nerve ligation; (3) osteoarthritis pain using mechanical joint loading; (4) chemotherapy-induced pain with oxaliplatin; (5) chronic muscle pain using hyperalgesic priming; and (6) inflammatory pain using intraplantar complete Freund's adjuvant. Microarray analyses were performed using RNA isolated from dorsal root ganglia and compared to sham/vehicle treated controls. Results: Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Known and previously unreported genes were found to be dysregulated in each pain model. The transcriptomic profiles for each model were compared and expression profiles of DEGs within subsets of DRG neuronal populations were analysed to determine whether specific neuronal subsets could be linked to each of the pain models. Conclusions: Each pain model exhibits a unique set of altered transcripts implying distinct cellular responses to different painful stimuli. No simple direct link between genetically distinct sets of neurons and particular pain models could be discerned.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Bangash
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Sascha R A Alles
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Sonia Santana-Varela
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Queensta Millet
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Shafaq Sikandar
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Larissa de Clauser
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Freija Ter Heegde
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- Comparative Biomedical Science, Skeletal Biology Group, Royal Veterinary College, London, NW1 0TU, UK
| | - Abdella M Habib
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- College of Medicine, Member of Qatar Health Cluster, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Vanessa Pereira
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Jane E Sexton
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Edward C Emery
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Shengnan Li
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Ana P Luiz
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Janka Erdos
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Samuel J Gossage
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Jing Zhao
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - James J Cox
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - John N Wood
- Molecular Nociception Group, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
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