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Chen N, Tu Y, Liu DQ, Zhang Y, Tian YK, Zhou YQ, Yang SB. Exploring the Role of RhoA/ROCK Signaling in Pain: A Narrative Review. Aging Dis 2025:AD.2024.1539. [PMID: 40249935 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2024.1539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2025] [Indexed: 04/20/2025] Open
Abstract
Despite significant progress in understanding the mechanisms of pain and developing therapeutic agents, pain remains a challenging and unresolved clinical issue. The Ras homolog gene family member A (RhoA), a member of the small guanosine triphosphate hydrolases (GTPases) of the Ras homolog family, is involved in transmitting signals that regulate various cellular processes. RhoA exerts its effects through a range of downstream effectors, with Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) being the most extensively studied. Emerging evidence suggests that the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway plays a crucial role in pain transmission and sensitization. Our work indicates that targeting the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway may offer a promising therapeutic avenue for alleviating pain.
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Zhu B, Gao J, Ouyang Y, Hu Z, Chen X. Overexpression Of miR138 Ameliorates Spared Sciatic Nerve Injury-Induced Neuropathic Pain Through The Anti-Inflammatory Response In Mice. J Pain Res 2019; 12:3135-3145. [PMID: 31819598 PMCID: PMC6874503 DOI: 10.2147/jpr.s219462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The emerging role of inflammation in the initiation and maintenance of neuropathic pain has been confirmed. Previous studies have reported that miR138 has neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects in animal models of spinal cord injury and in human coronary artery endothelial cell injury, while its effect on neuropathic pain is still not known. As the mechanism of neuropathic pain remains unclear, we investigated whether miR138 is involved in the development of neuropathic pain and the role of miR138 in the modulation of inflammation in the spinal cord in a mouse model of neuropathic pain induced by spared sciatic nerve injury (SNI). Materials and methods Firstly, the expression of miR138 in spinal cord was evaluated on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 14 after SNI. And then, LV-miR-control and LV-miR138 were intrathecally injected 1 week before the surgery followed by investigation of the expression of miR138, mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia on day 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 14 after SNI. Ipsilateral L4-L6 spinal cord tissue was harvested on day 14 post-SNI and detected by Western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or immunohischemistry. Results We observed decreased expression of miR138 and increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines, along with activated microglia, astrocytes and nuclear factor-κВ (NF-κВ), in the spinal cord dorsal horn after SNI. Moreover, the intrathecal upregulation of miR138 significantly alleviated SNI-induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, downregulated the production of proinflammatory cytokines, and deactivated microglia, astrocytes and NF-κВ. Conclusion The results indicate that miR138 contributes to the development of neuropathic pain and that the overexpression of miR138 alleviates pain hypersensitivity by inhibiting proinflammatory cytokine production and glial activation, which suggests a novel target for reducing neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benfan Zhu
- Department of Pain, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Gao
- Department of Pain, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, People's Republic of China.,Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, People's Republic of China.,Department of Anesthesiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, People's Republic of China.,Institute of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, People's Republic of China
| | - Yeling Ouyang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, People's Republic of China.,Institute of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiqiang Hu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, People's Republic of China.,Institute of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiangdong Chen
- Department of Anesthesiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, People's Republic of China.,Institute of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, People's Republic of China
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Rho GTPases in the Physiology and Pathophysiology of Peripheral Sensory Neurons. Cells 2019; 8:cells8060591. [PMID: 31208035 PMCID: PMC6627758 DOI: 10.3390/cells8060591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous experimental studies demonstrate that the Ras homolog family of guanosine triphosphate hydrolases (Rho GTPases) Ras homolog family member A (RhoA), Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1) and cell division cycle 42 (Cdc42) are important regulators in somatosensory neurons, where they elicit changes in the cellular cytoskeleton and are involved in diverse biological processes during development, differentiation, survival and regeneration. This review summarizes the status of research regarding the expression and the role of the Rho GTPases in peripheral sensory neurons and how these small proteins are involved in development and outgrowth of sensory neurons, as well as in neuronal regeneration after injury, inflammation and pain perception. In sensory neurons, Rho GTPases are activated by various extracellular signals through membrane receptors and elicit their action through a wide range of downstream effectors, such as Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) or mixed-lineage kinase (MLK). While RhoA is implicated in the assembly of stress fibres and focal adhesions and inhibits neuronal outgrowth through growth cone collapse, Rac1 and Cdc42 promote neuronal development, differentiation and neuroregeneration. The functions of Rho GTPases are critically important in the peripheral somatosensory system; however, their signalling interconnections and partially antagonistic actions are not yet fully understood.
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Involvement of inhibition of RhoA/Rho kinase signaling in simvastatin-induced amelioration of neuropathic pain. Neuroscience 2016; 333:204-13. [PMID: 27457035 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.07.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2015] [Revised: 07/14/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Small molecular G-protein plays a key role in several diseases. This study was designed to reveal the role of RhoA signaling in the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain in mice. Partial sciatic nerve injury caused thermal hyperalgesia, mechanical allodynia, and increased plasma membrane translocation of RhoA in the lumber spinal cord. GFAP-immunoreactivity (ir), Iba-1-ir, and Rho kinase 2 (ROCK2-ir) was also increased in the ipsilateral spinal dorsal horn of nerve-ligated mice. Moreover, partial nerve ligation increased the expression of phosphorylated myristoylated alanine-rich protein kinase C substrate (MARCKS)-ir in the ipsilateral spinal dorsal horn. Daily intrathecal administration of simvastatin, beginning 3days before nerve injury, completely blocked all these changes in nerve-ligated mice. Pharmacological inhibition of ROCK also attenuated the increased expression of GFAP-ir and phosphorylated MARCKS-ir. Together, it is suggested that astrogliosis initiated by the activation of RhoA/ROCK signaling results in MARCKS phosphorylation in nerve terminals, which leads to hyperalgesia in neuropathic pain. Furthermore, simvastatin exerts antihyperalgesic and antiallodynic effects through the inhibition of spinal RhoA activation.
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