Potentiation of PIEZO2 mechanically-activated currents in sensory neurons mediates vincristine-induced mechanical hypersensitivity

Vincristine,a widely used chemotherapeutic agent for treating different cancer,often induces severe peripheral neuropathic pain.A common symptom of vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathic pain is mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia.However,mechanisms underlying vincristine-induced mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia are not well understood.In the present study,we show with behavioral assessment in rats that vincristine induces mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia in a PIEZO2 channel-dependent manner since gene knockdown or pharmacological inhibition of PIEZO2 channels alleviates vincristine-induced mechanical hypersensitivity.Electrophysiological results show that vincristine potentiates PIEZO2 rapidly adapting(RA)mechanically-activated(MA)currents in rat dorsal root ganglion(DRG)neurons.We have found that vincristine-induced potentiation of PIEZO2 MA currents is due to the enhancement of static plasma membrane tension(SPMT)of these cells following vincristine treatment.Reducing SPMT of DRG neurons by cytochalasin D(CD),a disruptor of the actin filament,abolishes vincristine-induced potentiation of PIEZO2 MA currents,and suppresses vincristine-induced mechanical hypersensitivity in rats.Collectively,enhancing SPMT and subsequently potentiating PIEZO2 MA currents in primary afferent neurons may be an underlying mechanism responsible for vincristineinduced mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia in rats.Targeting to inhibit PIEZO2 channels may be an effective analgesic method to attenuate vincristine-induced mechanical hypersensitivity.

Effect of acetyl-L-carnitine on hypersensitivity in acute recurrent caerulein-induced pancreatitis and microglial activation along the brain’s pain circuitry

BACKGROUND Acute pancreatitis(AP)and recurring AP are serious health care problems causing excruciating pain and potentially lethal outcomes due to sepsis.The validated caerulein-(CAE)induced mouse model of acute/recurring AP produces secondary persistent hypersensitivity and anxiety-like behavioral changes for study.AIM To determine efficacy of acetyl-L-carnitine(ALC)to reduce pain-related behaviors and brain microglial activation along the pain circuitry in CAE-pancreatitis.METHODS Pancreatitis was induced with 6 hly intraperitoneal(i.p.)injections of CAE(50μg/kg),3 d a week for 6 wk in male C57BL/6J mice.Starting in week 4,mice received either vehicle or ALC until experiment’s end.Mechanical hypersensitivity was assessed with von Frey filaments.Heat hypersensitivity was determined with the hotplate test.Anxiety-like behavior was tested in week 6 using elevated plus maze and open field tests.Microglial activation in brain was quantified histologically by immunostaining for ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1(Iba1).RESULTS Mice with CAE-induced pancreatitis had significantly reduced mechanical withdrawal thresholds and heat response latencies,indicating ongoing pain.Treatment with ALC attenuated inflammation-induced hypersensitivity,but hypersensitivity due to abdominal wall injury caused by repeated intraperitoneal injections persisted.Animals with pancreatitis displayed spontaneous anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze compared to controls.Treatment with ALC resulted in increased numbers of rearing activity events,but time spent in“safety”was not changed.After all the abdominal injections,pancreata were translucent if excised at experiment’s end and opaque if excised on the subsequent day,indicative of spontaneous healing.Post mortem histopathological analysis performed on pancreas sections stained with Sirius Red and Fast Green identified wide-spread fibrosis and acinar cell atrophy in sections from mice with CAE-induced pancreatitis that was not rescued by treatment with ALC.Microglial Iba1 immunostaining was significantly increased in hippocampus,thalamus(intralaminar nuclei),hypothalamus,and amygdala of mice with CAE-induced pancreatitis compared to naïve controls but unchanged in the primary somatosensory cortex compared to naïves.CONCLUSION CAE-induced pancreatitis caused increased pain-related behaviors,pancreatic fibrosis,and brain microglial changes.ALC alleviated CAE-induced mechanical and heat hypersensitivity but not abdominal wall injury-induced hypersensitivity caused by the repeated injections.

Post-stroke pain hypersensitivity induced by experimental thalamic hemorrhage in rats is region-specific and demonstrates limited efficacy of gabapentin

Intractable central post-stroke pain（CPSP） is one of the most common sequelae of stroke, but has been inadequately studied to date. In this study, we first determined the relationship between the lesion site and changes in mechanical or thermal pain sensitivity in a rat CPSP model with experimental thalamic hemorrhage produced by unilateral intra-thalamic collagenase IV（ITC） injection. Then, we evaluated the efficacy of gabapentin（GBP）, an anticonvulsant that binds the voltage-gated Ca2＋ channel α2δ and a commonly used anti-neuropathic pain medication. Histological case-by-case analysis showed that only lesions confined to the medial lemniscus and the ventroposterior lateral/medial nuclei of the thalamus and/or the posterior thalamic nucleus resulted in bilateral mechanical pain hypersensitivity. All of the animals displaying CPSP also had impaired motor coordination, while control rats with intra-thalamic saline developed no central pain or motor deficits. GBP had a dose-related anti-allodynic effect after a single administration（1, 10, or 100 mg/kg） on day 7 post-ITC, with significant effects lasting at least 5 hfor the higher doses. However, repeated treatment, once a day for two weeks, resulted in complete loss of effectiveness（drug tolerance） at 10 mg/kg, while effectiveness remained at 100 mg/kg, although the time period of efficacious analgesia was reduced. In addition, GBP did not change the basal pain sensitivity and the motor impairment caused by the ITC lesion, suggesting selective action of GBP on the somatosensory system.