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Midavaine É, Moraes BC, Benitez J, Rodriguez SR, Braz JM, Kochhar NP, Eckalbar WL, Domingos AI, Pintar JE, Basbaum AI, Kashem SW. Regulatory T cell-derived enkephalin imparts pregnancy-induced analgesia. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.11.593442. [PMID: 38798460 PMCID: PMC11118376 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.11.593442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
T cells have emerged as sex-dependent orchestrators of pain chronification but the sexually dimorphic mechanisms by which T cells control pain sensitivity is not resolved. Here, we demonstrate an influence of regulatory T cells (Tregs) on pain processing that is distinct from their canonical functions of immune regulation and tissue repair. Specifically, meningeal Tregs (mTregs) express the endogenous opioid, enkephalin, and mTreg-derived enkephalin exerts an antinociceptive action through a presynaptic opioid receptor signaling mechanism that is dispensable for immunosuppression. mTregs are both necessary and sufficient for suppressing mechanical pain sensitivity in female but not male mice. Notably, the mTreg modulation of pain thresholds depends on sex-hormones and expansion of enkephalinergic mTregs during gestation imparts a remarkable pregnancy-induced analgesia in a pre-existing, chronic, unremitting neuropathic pain model. These results uncover a fundamental sex-specific, pregnancy-pronounced, and immunologically-derived endogenous opioid circuit for nociceptive regulation with critical implications for pain biology and maternal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Élora Midavaine
- Department of Anatomy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Beatriz C. Moraes
- Department of Anatomy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Jorge Benitez
- Department of Anatomy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Sian R. Rodriguez
- Department of Anatomy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Joao M. Braz
- Department of Anatomy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Nathan P. Kochhar
- Department of Anatomy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Walter L. Eckalbar
- Department of Anatomy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Ana I. Domingos
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - John E. Pintar
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Allan I. Basbaum
- Department of Anatomy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Sakeen W. Kashem
- Department of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Dermatology, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA
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2
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Bae K, Lamoury G, Carroll S, Morgia M, Lim S, Baron-Hay S, Shin IS, Park SJ, Oh B. Comparison of the clinical effectiveness of treatments for aromatase inhibitor-induced arthralgia in breast cancer patients: A systematic review with network meta-analysis. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2023; 181:103898. [PMID: 36535489 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2022.103898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Aromatase inhibitor-induced arthralgia (AIA) contributes to poor adherence of aromatase inhibitor therapies in patients with breast cancer. A systematic review using network meta-analysis (NMA) was conducted to examine the clinical effectiveness of multiple therapies and rank probabilities for the management of AIA. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing treatments for AIA in postmenopausal women with stage 0-III hormone receptor-positive breast cancer were searched from inception to October 2021. The main NMA involved 1516 participants from 17 RCTs. Acupuncture was the highest ranked intervention to improve pain intensity followed by sham acupuncture, multicomponent herbal medicine, exercise, duloxetine, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, physical therapy, testosterone, and inactive controls. Single natural products were inferior to controls. The current review provides new insights into the management of AIA in breast cancer survivors for increased survival and can be utilized to make evidence-based decisions regarding treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyeore Bae
- Integrative Cancer Center, Doban Hospital, Seoul, 03170, Republic of Korea; Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Sydney, New South Wales, 2065, Australia.
| | - Gillian Lamoury
- Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Sydney, New South Wales, 2065, Australia; Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia.
| | - Susan Carroll
- Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Sydney, New South Wales, 2065, Australia; Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia.
| | - Marita Morgia
- Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Sydney, New South Wales, 2065, Australia.
| | - Stephanie Lim
- Medical Oncology Department, Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centre, Campbelltown, New South Wales, 2560, Australia; Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, New South Wales, 2560, Australia.
| | - Sally Baron-Hay
- Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Sydney, New South Wales, 2065, Australia; Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia.
| | - In-Soo Shin
- Department of Graduate School of Education, Dongguk University, Seoul, 04620, Republic of Korea.
| | - So-Jung Park
- Department of Internal Medicine, Korean Medicine Hospital of Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam, 50612, Republic of Korea.
| | - Byeongsang Oh
- Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Sydney, New South Wales, 2065, Australia; Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia.
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3
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Role of Estrogens in Menstrual Migraine. Cells 2022; 11:cells11081355. [PMID: 35456034 PMCID: PMC9025552 DOI: 10.3390/cells11081355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Migraine is a major neurological disorder affecting one in nine adults worldwide with a significant impact on health care and socioeconomic systems. Migraine is more prevalent in women than in men, with 17% of all women meeting the diagnostic criteria for migraine. In women, the frequency of migraine attacks shows variations over the menstrual cycle and pregnancy, and the use of combined hormonal contraception (CHC) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can unveil or modify migraine disease. In the general population, 18–25% of female migraineurs display a menstrual association of their headache. Here we present an overview on the evidence supporting the role of reproductive hormones, in particular estrogens, in the pathophysiology of migraine. We also analyze the efficacy and safety of prescribing exogenous estrogens as a potential treatment for menstrual-related migraine. Finally, we point to controversial issues and future research areas in the field of reproductive hormones and migraine.
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4
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So SY, Savidge TC. Sex-Bias in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Linking Steroids to the Gut-Brain Axis. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:684096. [PMID: 34093447 PMCID: PMC8170482 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.684096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder that is more common in females. Despite its high global incidence, the disease mechanism is still unclear and therapeutic options remain limited. The sexual dimorphism in IBS incidence suggests that sex steroids play a role in disease onset and symptoms severity. This review considers sex steroids and their involvement in IBS symptoms and the underlying disease mechanisms. Estrogens and androgens play important regulatory roles in IBS symptomology, including visceral sensitivity, gut motility and psychological conditions, possibly through modulating the gut-brain axis. Steroids are regulators of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity and autonomic nervous system function. They also modulate gut microbiota and enteric nervous systems, impacting serotonin and mast cell signaling. Sex steroids also facilitate bidirectional cross-talk between the microbiota and host following bacterial transformation and recycling of steroids by the intestine. The sex-specific interplay between sex steroids and the host provides neuroendocrinology insight into the pathophysiology, epigenetics and treatment of IBS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sik Yu So
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Texas Children’s Microbiome Center, Department of Pathology, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Tor C. Savidge
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Texas Children’s Microbiome Center, Department of Pathology, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
- *Correspondence: Tor C. Savidge,
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5
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Gupta A, Henry NL, Loprinzi CL. Management of Aromatase Inhibitor-Induced Musculoskeletal Symptoms. JCO Oncol Pract 2020; 16:733-739. [PMID: 32780640 DOI: 10.1200/op.20.00113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Aromatase inhibitor-induced musculoskeletal symptoms (AIMSS) were first recognized as a distinct entity in 2001, 5 years after the approval of the first aromatase inhibitor, anastrozole. Musculoskeletal symptoms can severely affect patients' quality of life and also lead to premature discontinuation of aromatase inhibitor therapy. Several interventions for managing AIMSS have been investigated in the last decade, with some demonstrating promise. This article provides an evidence-based summary to guide practicing oncologists in regard to the epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of AIMSS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arjun Gupta
- Department of Medical Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - N Lynn Henry
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
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6
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Beal EW, Kim JL, Reader BF, Akateh C, Maynard K, Washburn WK, Zweier JL, Whitson BA, Black SM. [D-Ala 2, D-Leu 5] Enkephalin Improves Liver Preservation During Normothermic Ex Vivo Perfusion. J Surg Res 2019; 241:323-335. [PMID: 31071481 DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2019.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Meeting the metabolic demands of donor livers using normothermic ex vivo liver perfusion (NEVLP) preservation technology is challenging. The delta opioid agonist [D-Ala2, D-Leu5] enkephalin (DADLE) has been reported to decrease the metabolic demand in models of ischemia and cold preservation. We evaluated the therapeutic potential of DADLE by investigating its ability to protect against oxidative stress and hepatic injury during normothermic perfusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS Primary rat hepatocytes were used in an in vitro model of oxidative stress to determine the minimum dose of DADLE needed to induce protection and the mechanisms associated with protection. NEVLP was then used to induce injury in rat livers and determine the effectiveness of DADLE in preventing liver injury. RESULTS In hepatocytes, DADLE was protective against oxidative stress and led to a decrease in phosphorylation of JNK and p38. Naltrindole, a δ-opioid receptor antagonist, blocked this effect. DADLE also activated the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, and PI3K/Akt inhibition decreased the protective effects of DADLE treatment. In addition, DADLE treatment during NEVLP resulted in lower perfusate alanine aminotransferase and tissue malondialdehyde and better tissue adenosine triphosphate and glutathione. Furthermore, perfusion with DADLE compared with perfusate alone preserved tissue architecture. CONCLUSIONS DADLE confers protection against oxidative stress in hepatocytes and during NEVLP. These data suggest that the mechanism of protection involved the prevention of mitochondrial dysfunction by opioid receptor signaling and subsequent increased expression of prosurvival/antiapoptotic signaling pathways. Altogether, data suggest that opioid receptor agonism may serve as therapeutic target for improved liver protection during NEVLP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliza W Beal
- The COPPER Laboratory, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Jung-Lye Kim
- The COPPER Laboratory, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Brenda F Reader
- The COPPER Laboratory, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio; The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center Comprehensive Transplant Center, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Clifford Akateh
- The COPPER Laboratory, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Katelyn Maynard
- The COPPER Laboratory, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio
| | - W Kenneth Washburn
- The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center Comprehensive Transplant Center, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Jay L Zweier
- Department of Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Bryan A Whitson
- The COPPER Laboratory, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio; The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center Comprehensive Transplant Center, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Sylvester M Black
- The COPPER Laboratory, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio; The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center Comprehensive Transplant Center, Columbus, Ohio.
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7
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Calhoun AH. Understanding Menstrual Migraine. Headache 2018; 58:626-630. [DOI: 10.1111/head.13291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anne H. Calhoun
- Carolina Headache Institute; Durham NC USA
- Department of Anesthesiology; University of North Carolina; Chapel Hill NC USA
- Department of Psychiatry; University of North Carolina; Chapel Hill NC USA
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8
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Quinelato V, Bonato LL, Vieira AR, Granjeiro JM, Tesch R, Casado PL. Association Between Polymorphisms in the Genes of Estrogen Receptors and the Presence of Temporomandibular Disorders and Chronic Arthralgia. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2017; 76:314.e1-314.e9. [PMID: 29175417 DOI: 10.1016/j.joms.2017.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Revised: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The high prevalence of painful temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) in women suggests that estrogen and its receptors play a fundamental etiologic role in the development of this joint pathology through complex action mechanisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible association between polymorphisms in the ESR1 (estrogen receptor-1) and ESRRB (estrogen-related receptor-β) genes and the risk of simultaneous development of TMDs and pain in other joints in the body. MATERIALS AND METHODS All participants were clinically evaluated for the presence of TMD (Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD) and asked about the presence of chronic joint pain. The control group consisted of 72 patients without TMD and without pain. Participants with arthralgia were divided into 3 groups: with muscular TMD (n = 42), with articular TMD (n = 16), and without TMD and with systemic arthralgia (n = 82). Eight single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the ESR1 (rs12154178, rs1884051, rs2273206, rs7774230) and ESRRB (rs1676303, rs4903399, rs10132091, rs7151924) genes were investigated. The χ2 test and Student t and Mann-Whitney tests were used to assess the relevance of nominal and continuous variables, respectively. A P value less than .05 was considered significant. RESULTS The TT (timin/timin) genotype for the ESR1 (rs2273206) gene was strongly associated with the risk of developing muscle TMDs and temporomandibular joint pain (P = .04). For the ESRRB (rs1676303) gene, an association was observed between the CC (cytosine/cytosine) genotype and the presence of articular TMDs associated with other chronic arthralgia (P = .02). These results were confirmed by the increased risk of developing articular TMDs associated with the C allele (P = .04). CONCLUSIONS This study supports the hypothesis that changes in the ESR1 and ESRRB genes influence the presence of TMDs associated with chronic joint pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valquiria Quinelato
- Doctoral Student of Dentistry, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Letícia Ladeira Bonato
- Doctor in Dentistry, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói; Specialist in Temporomandibular Disorders and Orofacial Pain, School of Medicine, Petrópolis, RJ, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Rezende Vieira
- Doctor in Oral Biology, Departments of Oral Biology and Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - José Mauro Granjeiro
- Doctor in Chemistry and Cell Therapy Center, Clinical Research Unit and Biology Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói; National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Tesch
- Master of Health Sciences and Assistant Professor and Specialist in Temporomandibular Disorders and Orofacial Pain, School of Medicine, Petrópolis, RJ, Brazil; Professor of Specialization Courses in Orthodontics, Brazilian Dental Association, Petrópolis and Duque de Caxias, RJ, Brazil; Professor of Orthodontics of the Specialization Course, Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
| | - Priscila Ladeira Casado
- Doctor in Morphology and Adjunct Professor of Periodontics, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
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9
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Tran M, Kuhn JA, Bráz JM, Basbaum AI. Neuronal aromatase expression in pain processing regions of the medullary and spinal cord dorsal horn. J Comp Neurol 2017. [PMID: 28649695 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In both acute and chronic pain conditions, women tend to be more sensitive than men. This sex difference may be regulated by estrogens, such as estradiol, that are synthesized in the spinal cord and brainstem and act locally to influence pain processing. To identify a potential cellular source of local estrogen, here we examined the expression of aromatase, the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of testosterone to estradiol. Our studies focused on primary afferent neurons and on their central targets in the spinal cord and medulla as well as in the nucleus of the solitary tract, the target of nodose ganglion-derived visceral afferents. Immunohistochemical staining in an aromatase reporter mouse revealed that many neurons in laminae I and V of the spinal cord dorsal horn and caudal spinal trigeminal nucleus and in the nucleus of the solitary tract express aromatase. The great majority of these cells also express inhibitory interneuron markers. We did not find sex differences in aromatase expression and neither the pattern nor the number of neurons changed in a sciatic nerve transection model of neuropathic pain or in the Complete Freund's adjuvant model of inflammatory pain. A few aromatase neurons express Fos after cheek injection of capsaicin, formalin, or chloroquine. In total, given their location, these aromatase neurons are poised to engage nociceptive circuits, whether it is through local estrogen synthesis or inhibitory neurotransmitter release.
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Affiliation(s)
- May Tran
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Julia A Kuhn
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - João M Bráz
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Allan I Basbaum
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
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10
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Vacca V, Marinelli S, Pieroni L, Urbani A, Luvisetto S, Pavone F. 17beta-estradiol counteracts neuropathic pain: a behavioural, immunohistochemical, and proteomic investigation on sex-related differences in mice. Sci Rep 2016; 6:18980. [PMID: 26742647 PMCID: PMC4705539 DOI: 10.1038/srep18980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2015] [Accepted: 09/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Sex differences play a role in pain sensitivity, efficacy of analgesic drugs and prevalence of neuropathic pain, even if the underlying mechanisms are far from being understood. We demonstrate that male and female mice react differently to structural and functional changes induced by sciatic nerve ligature, used as model of neuropathic pain. Male mice show a gradual decrease of allodynia and a complete recovery while, in females, allodynia and gliosis are still present four months after neuropathy induction. Administration of 17β-estradiol is able to significantly attenuate this difference, reducing allodynia and inducing a complete recovery also in female mice. Parallel to pain attenuation, 17β-estradiol treated-mice show a functional improvement of the injured limb, a faster regenerative process of the peripheral nerve and a decreased neuropathy-induced gliosis. These results indicate beneficial effects of 17β-estradiol on neuropathic pain and neuronal regeneration and focuses on the importance of considering gonadal hormones also in clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Vacca
- CNR-National Research Council, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, 00143 Roma, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00143 Roma, Italy
| | - Sara Marinelli
- CNR-National Research Council, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, 00143 Roma, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00143 Roma, Italy
| | - Luisa Pieroni
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00143 Roma, Italy.,Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Division of Biochemistry, University of "Tor Vergata", 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Andrea Urbani
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00143 Roma, Italy.,Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Division of Biochemistry, University of "Tor Vergata", 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Siro Luvisetto
- CNR-National Research Council, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, 00143 Roma, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00143 Roma, Italy
| | - Flaminia Pavone
- CNR-National Research Council, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, 00143 Roma, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00143 Roma, Italy
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11
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White HD, Robinson TD. A novel use for testosterone to treat central sensitization of chronic pain in fibromyalgia patients. Int Immunopharmacol 2015; 27:244-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2015.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2015] [Revised: 04/27/2015] [Accepted: 05/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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12
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Meng F, Ge HY, Wang YH, Yue SW. A afferent fibers are involved in the pathology of central changes in the spinal dorsal horn associated with myofascial trigger spots in rats. Exp Brain Res 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-015-4382-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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13
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Meng F, Ge HY, Wang YH, Yue SW. Myelinated Afferents Are Involved in Pathology of the Spontaneous Electrical Activity and Mechanical Hyperalgesia of Myofascial Trigger Spots in Rats. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE : ECAM 2015; 2015:404971. [PMID: 26064165 PMCID: PMC4441982 DOI: 10.1155/2015/404971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2015] [Accepted: 04/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) are common causes for chronic pain. Myelinated afferents were considered to be related with muscular pain, and our clinical researches indicated they might participate in the pathology of MTrPs. Here, we applied myofascial trigger spots (MTrSs, equal to MTrPs in human) of rats to further investigate role of myelinated afferents. Modified pyridine-silver staining revealed more nerve endings at MTrSs than non-MTrSs (P < 0.01), and immunohistochemistry with Neurofilament 200 indicated more myelinated afferents existed in MTrSs (P < 0.01). Spontaneous electrical activity (SEA) recordings at MTrSs showed that specific block of myelinated afferents in sciatic nerve with tetrodotoxin (TTX) led to significantly decreased SEA (P < 0.05). Behavioral assessment showed that mechanical pain thresholds (MPTs) of MTrSs were lower than those of non-MTrSs (P < 0.01). Block of myelinated afferents by intramuscular TTX injection increased MPTs of MTrSs significantly (P < 0.01), while MPTs of non-MTrSs first decreased (P < 0.05) and then increased (P > 0.05). 30 min after the injection, MPTs at MTrSs were significantly lower than those of non-MTrSs (P < 0.01). Therefore, we concluded that proliferated myelinated afferents existed at MTrSs, which were closely related to pathology of SEA and mechanical hyperalgesia of MTrSs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Meng
- Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, No. 107, Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
| | - Hong-You Ge
- Laboratory for Musculoskeletal Pain and Motor Control, Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction (SMI), Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7, Building D3, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Yong-Hui Wang
- Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, No. 107, Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
| | - Shou-Wei Yue
- Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, No. 107, Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
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14
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Ghorbanpoor S, Garcia-Segura LM, Haeri-Rohani A, Khodagholi F, Jorjani M. Aromatase inhibition exacerbates pain and reactive gliosis in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord of female rats caused by spinothalamic tract injury. Endocrinology 2014; 155:4341-55. [PMID: 25105782 DOI: 10.1210/en.2014-1158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Central pain syndrome is characterized by severe and excruciating pain resulting from a lesion in the central nervous system. Previous studies have shown that estradiol decreases pain and that inhibitors of the enzyme aromatase, which synthesizes estradiol from aromatizable androgens, increases pain sensitivity. In this study we have assessed whether aromatase expression in the dorsal horns of the spinal cord is altered in a rat model of central pain syndrome, induced by the unilateral electrolytic lesion of the spinothalamic tract. Protein and mRNA levels of aromatase, as well as the protein and mRNA levels of estrogen receptors α and β, were increased in the dorsal horn of female rats after spinothalamic tract injury, suggesting that the injury increased estradiol synthesis and signaling in the dorsal horn. To determine whether the increased aromatase expression in this pain model may participate in the control of pain, mechanical allodynia thresholds were determined in both hind paws after the intrathecal administration of letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor. Aromatase inhibition enhanced mechanical allodynia in both hind paws. Because estradiol is known to regulate gliosis we assessed whether the spinothalamic tract injury and aromatase inhibition regulated gliosis in the dorsal horn. The proportion of microglia with a reactive phenotype and the number of glial fibrillary acidic protein-immunoreactive astrocytes were increased by the injury in the dorsal horn. Aromatase inhibition enhanced the effect of the injury on gliosis. Furthermore, a significant a positive correlation of mechanical allodynia and gliosis in the dorsal horn was detected. These findings suggest that aromatase is up-regulated in the dorsal horn in a model of central pain syndrome and that aromatase activity in the spinal cord reduces mechanical allodynia by controlling reactive gliosis in the dorsal horn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samar Ghorbanpoor
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology (S.G.), Department of Animal Biology (A.H.-R.), School of Biology, College of Science (S.G.), University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran; Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (L.M.G.-S.), Instituto Cajal, E-28002 Madrid, Spain; Neurobiology Research Center (F.K., M.J.), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; and Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine (M.J.), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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15
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Aloisi AM, Sorda G. Relationship of female sex hormones with pain perception: focus on estrogens. Pain Manag 2014; 1:229-38. [PMID: 24646389 DOI: 10.2217/pmt.11.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY The role of gonadal hormones has slowly gathered the right attention in the study of chronic pain mechanisms. The clear presence of sex differences in chronic pain and the number of studies showing the power of gonadal hormones to modify pain-induced behavioral responses appear to have convinced clinicians and researchers. Indeed, available data strongly indicate that more studies on gonadal hormones would certainly enhance the possibility of greatly increasing the knowledge of pain mechanisms and, thus, treatments. In the present article, old and new literature are summarized to evaluate data on pain and its modulation by gonadal hormones, particularly estrogens. Peripheral and central targets of these hormones are discussed with the aim of renewing interest in important aspects of estrogenic functions and their interactions with pain processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Maria Aloisi
- San Carlo Clinic, via dell'Ospedale 21, Paderno Dugnano Milano, Italy; Neurophysiology of Stress & Pain Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Polo Scientifico San Miniato, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
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16
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Nicotra L, Tuke J, Grace PM, Rolan PE, Hutchinson MR. Sex differences in mechanical allodynia: how can it be preclinically quantified and analyzed? Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:40. [PMID: 24592221 PMCID: PMC3923156 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2013] [Accepted: 01/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Translating promising preclinical drug discoveries to successful clinical trials remains a significant hurdle in pain research. Although animal models have significantly contributed to understanding chronic pain pathophysiology, the majority of research has focused on male rodents using testing procedures that produce sex difference data that do not align well with comparable clinical experiences. Additionally, the use of animal pain models presents ongoing ethical challenges demanding continuing refinement of preclinical methods. To this end, this study sought to test a quantitative allodynia assessment technique and associated statistical analysis in a modified graded nerve injury pain model with the aim to further examine sex differences in allodynia. Graded allodynia was established in male and female Sprague Dawley rats by altering the number of sutures placed around the sciatic nerve and quantified by the von Frey test. Linear mixed effects modeling regressed response on each fixed effect (sex, oestrus cycle, pain treatment). On comparison with other common von Frey assessment techniques, utilizing lower threshold filaments than those ordinarily tested, at 1 s intervals, appropriately and successfully investigated female mechanical allodynia, revealing significant sex and oestrus cycle difference across the graded allodynia that other common behavioral methods were unable to detect. Utilizing this different von Frey approach and graded allodynia model, a single suture inflicting less allodynia was sufficient to demonstrate exaggerated female mechanical allodynia throughout the phases of dioestrus and pro-oestrus. Refining the von Frey testing method, statistical analysis technique and the use of a graded model of chronic pain, allowed for examination of the influences on female mechanical nociception that other von Frey methods cannot provide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Nicotra
- Department of Pharmacology, Neuroimmunopharmacology, The University of Adelaide Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Jonathan Tuke
- Faculty of Engineering, School of Mathematical Sciences, Computer Science and Mathematics, The University of Adelaide Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Peter M Grace
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of Colorado Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Paul E Rolan
- Department of Pharmacology, Neuroimmunopharmacology, The University of Adelaide Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Mark R Hutchinson
- Department of Physiology, Neuroimmunopharmacology, The University of Adelaide Adelaide, SA, Australia
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17
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Amandusson Å, Blomqvist A. Estrogenic influences in pain processing. Front Neuroendocrinol 2013; 34:329-49. [PMID: 23817054 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2013.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2013] [Revised: 06/19/2013] [Accepted: 06/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Gonadal hormones not only play a pivotal role in reproductive behavior and sexual differentiation, they also contribute to thermoregulation, feeding, memory, neuronal survival, and the perception of somatosensory stimuli. Numerous studies on both animals and human subjects have also demonstrated the potential effects of gonadal hormones, such as estrogens, on pain transmission. These effects most likely involve multiple neuroanatomical circuits as well as diverse neurochemical systems and they therefore need to be evaluated specifically to determine the localization and intrinsic characteristics of the neurons engaged. The aim of this review is to summarize the morphological as well as biochemical evidence in support for gonadal hormone modulation of nociceptive processing, with particular focus on estrogens and spinal cord mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Åsa Amandusson
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden.
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18
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Okamoto K, Thompson R, Katagiri A, Bereiter DA. Estrogen status and psychophysical stress modify temporomandibular joint input to medullary dorsal horn neurons in a lamina-specific manner in female rats. Pain 2013; 154:1057-64. [PMID: 23607965 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2013.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2012] [Revised: 02/20/2013] [Accepted: 03/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Estrogen status and psychological stress contribute to the expression of several chronic pain conditions including temporomandibular muscle and joint disorders (TMJD). Sensory neurons that supply the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) region terminate in laminae I and V of the spinal trigeminal nucleus (Vc/C1-2 region); however, little is known about lamina-specificity and environmental influences on the encoding properties of TMJ brainstem neurons. To test the hypothesis that Vc/C1-2 neurons integrate both interoceptive and exteroceptive signals relevant for TMJ nociception, we recorded TMJ-evoked activity in superficial and deep laminae of ovariectomized rats under high and low estradiol (E2) and stress conditions. Rats received daily injections of low (LE) or high (HE) dose E2 and were subjected to forced swim (FS) or sham swim conditioning for 3days. The results revealed marked lamina-specificity in that HE rats displayed enhanced TMJ-evoked activity in superficial, but not deep, laminae independent of stress conditioning. By contrast, FS conditioned rats displayed increased background firing and TMJ-evoked activity of neurons in deep, but not superficial, laminae independent of E2 status. FS also enhanced TMJ-evoked masseter muscle activity and suggested the importance of deep dorsal horn neurons in mediating evoked jaw muscle activity. In conclusion, E2 status and psychophysical stress play a significant role in modifying the encoding properties of TMJ-responsive medullary dorsal horn neurons with a marked lamina-specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keiichiro Okamoto
- Department of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, SE Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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19
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Cornil CA, Ball GF, Balthazart J. Rapid control of male typical behaviors by brain-derived estrogens. Front Neuroendocrinol 2012; 33:425-46. [PMID: 22983088 PMCID: PMC3496013 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2012.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2012] [Revised: 08/13/2012] [Accepted: 08/17/2012] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Beside their genomic mode of action, estrogens also activate a variety of cellular signaling pathways through non-genomic mechanisms. Until recently, little was known regarding the functional significance of such actions in males and the mechanisms that control local estrogen concentration with a spatial and time resolution compatible with these non-genomic actions had rarely been examined. Here, we review evidence that estrogens rapidly modulate a variety of behaviors in male vertebrates. Then, we present in vitro work supporting the existence of a control mechanism of local brain estrogen synthesis by aromatase along with in vivo evidence that rapid changes in aromatase activity also occur in a region-specific manner in response to changes in the social or environmental context. Finally, we suggest that the brain estrogen provision may also play a significant role in females. Together these data bolster the hypothesis that brain-derived estrogens should be considered as neuromodulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte A Cornil
- GIGA Neurosciences, Research Group in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
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20
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Gintzler AR, Liu NJ. Importance of sex to pain and its amelioration; relevance of spinal estrogens and its membrane receptors. Front Neuroendocrinol 2012; 33:412-24. [PMID: 23036438 PMCID: PMC3778676 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2012.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2012] [Revised: 09/13/2012] [Accepted: 09/18/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Estrogens have a multitude of effects on opioid systems and are thought to play a key role in sexually dimorphic nociception and opioid antinociception. Heretofore, classical genomic actions of estrogens are largely thought to be responsible for the effects of these steroids on nociception and opioid antinociception. The recent discovery that estrogens can also activate estrogen receptors that are located in the plasma membrane, the effects of which are manifest in seconds to minutes instead of hours to days has revolutionized our thinking concerning the ways in which estrogens are likely to modulate pain responsiveness and the dynamic nature of that modulation. This review summarizes parameters of opioid functionality and nociception that are subject to modulation by estrogens, underscoring the added dimensions of such modulation that accrues from rapid membrane estrogen receptor signaling. Implications of this mode of signaling regarding putative sources of estrogens and its degradation are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan R Gintzler
- State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
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21
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Estrogen and Visceral Nociception at the Level of Primary Sensory Neurons. PAIN RESEARCH AND TREATMENT 2012; 2012. [PMID: 21984961 PMCID: PMC3186056 DOI: 10.1155/2012/960780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Clinical studies suggest the comorbidity of functional pain syndromes such as irritable bowel syndrome, painful bladder syndrome, chronic pelvic pain, and somatoform disorders approaches 40% to 60%. The incidence of episodic or persistent visceral pain associated with these “functional” disorders is two to three times higher in women than in men. One of the possible explanations for this phenomenon is estrogen modulation of viscerovisceral cross-sensitization. While a central site of this modulation has been shown previously, our studies suggest a peripheral site, the dorsal root ganglion (DRG). Estrogens have remarkably wide range of functions including modulation of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) and purinoreceptors (P2Xs). Significantly, inflammation dramatically alters purinoception by causing a several fold increase in ATP-activated current, alters the voltage dependence of P2X receptors, and enhances the expression of P2X receptors increasing neuronal hypersensitivity. Gonadal hormones are thought as indispensable cornerstones of the normal development and function, but it appears that no body region, no neuronal circuit, and virtually no cell is unaffected by them. Thus, increasing awareness toward estrogens appears to be obligatory.
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Cao DY, Ji Y, Tang B, Traub RJ. Estrogen receptor β activation is antinociceptive in a model of visceral pain in the rat. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2012; 13:685-94. [PMID: 22698981 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2012.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2012] [Revised: 04/19/2012] [Accepted: 04/27/2012] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED The mechanism underlying estrogen modulation of visceral pain remains unclear. Our previous studies indicate that activation of estrogen receptor α (ERα) enhances visceral pain. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of estrogen receptor β (ERβ) activation in spinal processing of visceral stimuli. The effects of selective ERβ agonists on the visceromotor response (VMR) and dorsal horn neuronal responses to colorectal distention (CRD) were tested in ovariectomized and intact female rats. The magnitude of the VMR to CRD was significantly attenuated by ERβ agonists diarylpropionitrile (DPN) and WAY-200070 4 hours after subcutaneous injection. Pretreatment with the estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182,780 obscured the DPN-evoked attenuation. There was no effect of DPN on the VMR at earlier time points. Subcutaneous and spinal administration of DPN attenuated the response of visceroceptive dorsal horn neurons with a comparable time course. DPN attenuated the VMR in intact rats regardless of estrous cycle stage. The time course of effect of ERβ activation on the visceromotor response and neuronal activity is consistent with transcriptional or translational modulation of neuronal activity. PERSPECTIVE Activation of ERβ is antinociceptive in the colorectal distention model of visceral pain, which may provide a therapeutic target to manage irritable bowel syndrome in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Yuan Cao
- Department of Neural and Pain Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA
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23
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Influence of estrogen levels on thermal perception, pain thresholds, and pain tolerance: studies on women undergoing in vitro fertilization. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2012; 13:459-66. [PMID: 22480441 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2012.01.446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2011] [Revised: 01/13/2012] [Accepted: 01/26/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED We examined the relationship between estrogen and pain in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). Quantitative sensory tests (QST) were performed twice during the IVF-regimen: once during hormonal down-regulation and once during hormonal up-regulation. A group of healthy men and a group of women using monophasic contraceptives were also examined, to control for session-to-session effects. Among the women undergoing IVF, serum 17β-estradiol levels differed strongly between treatments as expected, and increased from 65.7 (SD = 26) pmol/L during the down-regulation phase, to 5,188 (SD = 2,524) pmol/L during the up-regulation phase. Significant outcomes in the QST were only seen for temperature perception thresholds (1.7 °C versus 2.2 °C; P = .003) and cold pain threshold (11.5 °C versus 14.5 °C; P = .04). A similar change in cold pain threshold was also seen in the 2 control groups, however, and statistical analysis suggested that this change was due to a session-to-session effect rather than being the result of hormonal modulation. Heat pain thresholds, heat tolerance, pressure pain thresholds, and the cold pressor test showed no significant differences between sessions. These data demonstrate that pain perception and pain thresholds in healthy women show little, if any, changes even with major variations in serum estradiol levels. PERSPECTIVE This study shows that pain perception and tolerance in women undergoing in vitro fertilization do not vary, despite the dramatic changes in 17β-estradiol levels induced by the treatment regimen. The result thus suggests that in humans, contrary to experimental animals, changes in estrogen levels have little influence on pain sensitivity.
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Amandusson Å, Blomqvist A. Estrogen receptor-α expression in nociceptive-responsive neurons in the medullary dorsal horn of the female rat. Eur J Pain 2012; 14:245-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpain.2009.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2009] [Revised: 05/05/2009] [Accepted: 05/14/2009] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Acupuncture as treatment of hot flashes and the possible role of calcitonin gene-related Peptide. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2011; 2012:579321. [PMID: 22110545 PMCID: PMC3205728 DOI: 10.1155/2012/579321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2011] [Accepted: 08/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The mechanisms behind hot flashes in menopausal women are not fully understood. The flashes in women are probably preceded by and actually initiated by a sudden downward shift in the set point for the core body temperature in the thermoregulatory center that is affected by sex steroids, β-endorphins, and other central neurotransmitters. Treatments that influence these factors may be expected to reduce hot flashes. Since therapy with sex steroids for hot flashes has appeared to cause a number of side effects and risks and women with hot flashes and breast cancer as well as men with prostate cancer and hot flashes are prevented from sex steroid therapy there is a great need for alternative therapies. Acupuncture affecting the opioid system has been suggested as an alternative treatment option for hot flashes in menopausal women and castrated men. The heat loss during hot flashes may be mediated by the potent vasodilator and sweat gland activator calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) the concentration of which increases in plasma during flashes in menopausal women and, according to one study, in castrated men with flushes. There is also evidence for connections between the opioid system and the release of CGRP. In this paper we discuss acupuncture as a treatment alternative for hot flashes and the role of CGRP in this context.
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26
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Estrogen receptors beta and alpha have specific pro- and anti-nociceptive actions. Neuroscience 2011; 184:172-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.02.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2010] [Revised: 02/24/2011] [Accepted: 02/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Ma B, Yu LH, Fan J, Cong B, He P, Ni X, Burnstock G. Estrogen modulation of peripheral pain signal transduction: involvement of P2X(3) receptors. Purinergic Signal 2011; 7:73-83. [PMID: 21484099 DOI: 10.1007/s11302-010-9212-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2010] [Accepted: 12/16/2010] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
There is evidence that gonadal hormones may affect the perception of painful stimulation, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This investigation was undertaken to determine whether the adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) receptor subunit, P2X(3), is involved in the modulatory action of estrogen in peripheral pain signal transduction in dorsal root ganglion (DRG). The mechanical pain behavior test, real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis, and Western blot methods were used to determine the mean relative concentrations and functions of P2X(3) receptors in DRG in sham, ovariectomized (OVX), and estradiol replacement (OVX+E(2)) female rats and in sham and orchiectomized male rats. The mechanical hyperalgesia appeared after ovariectomy, which was subsequently reversed after estradiol replacement, whereas it was not observed after orchiectomy in male rats. Plantar injection of 2'(3')-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) ATP (TNP-ATP), a P2X(3) and P2X(2/3) receptor antagonist, resulted in an increase of the pain threshold force in OVX rats while had no effect on sham rats. Furthermore, A-317491, a selective P2X(3)/P2X(2/3) receptor antagonist, significantly reversed the hyperalgesia of OVX rats. Injection of ATP into the plantars also caused a significant increase of the paw withdrawal duration in OVX rats compared with that seen in the sham group, which became substantially attenuated by TNP-ATP. P2X(3) receptors expressed in DRG were significantly increased in both mRNA and protein levels after ovariectomy and then reversed after estrogen replacement, while a similar increase was not observed after orchiectomy in male rats. Furthermore, P2X(3) mRNA was significantly decreased 24 h after the application of 17β-estradiol in a concentration-dependent manner in cultured DRG neurons. ICI 182,780, an estrogen receptor antagonist, blocked the reduction in the protein level. These results suggest that the female gonadal hormone, 17β-estradiol, might participate in the control of peripheral pain signal transduction by modulating P2X(3) receptor-mediated events in primary sensory neurons, probably through genomic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bei Ma
- Department of Physiology, Shanghai Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200433, People's Republic of China,
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28
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Bereiter DA, Okamoto K. Neurobiology of estrogen status in deep craniofacial pain. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2011; 97:251-84. [PMID: 21708314 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-385198-7.00010-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Pain in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) region often occurs with no overt signs of injury or inflammation. Although the etiology of TMJ-related pain may involve multiple factors, one likely risk factor is female gender or estrogen status. Evidence is reviewed from human and animal studies, supporting the proposition that estrogen status acts peripherally or centrally to influence TMJ nociceptive processing. A new model termed the "TMJ pain matrix" is proposed as critical for the initial integration of TMJ-related sensory signals in the lower brainstem that is both modified by estrogen status, and closely linked to endogenous pain and autonomic control pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Bereiter
- Department of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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Zhong YQ, Li KC, Zhang X. Potentiation of excitatory transmission in substantia gelatinosa neurons of rat spinal cord by inhibition of estrogen receptor alpha. Mol Pain 2010; 6:92. [PMID: 21143988 PMCID: PMC3016347 DOI: 10.1186/1744-8069-6-92] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2010] [Accepted: 12/11/2010] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Background It has been shown that estrogen is synthesized in the spinal dorsal horn and plays a role in modulating pain transmission. One of the estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes, estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), is expressed in the spinal laminae I-V, including substantia gelatinosa (SG, lamina II). However, it is unclear how ERs are involved in the modulation of nociceptive transmission. Results In the present study, a selective ERα antagonist, methyl-piperidino-pyrazole (MPP), was used to test the potential functional roles of spinal ERα in the nociceptive transmission. Using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique, we examined the effects of MPP on SG neurons in the dorsal root-attached spinal cord slice prepared from adult rats. We found that MPP increased glutamatergic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) evoked by the stimulation of either Aδ- or C-afferent fibers. Further studies showed that MPP treatment dose-dependently increased spontaneous EPSCs frequency in SG neurons, while not affecting the amplitude. In addition, the PKC was involved in the MPP-induced enhancement of synaptic transmission. Conclusions These results suggest that the selective ERα antagonist MPP pre-synaptically facilitates the excitatory synaptic transmission to SG neurons. The nociceptive transmission evoked by Aδ- and C-fiber stimulation could be potentiated by blocking ERα in the spinal neurons. Thus, the spinal estrogen may negatively regulate the nociceptive transmission through the activation of ERα.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Qing Zhong
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences
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30
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Stening KD, Eriksson O, Henriksson KG, Brynhildsen J, Lindh-Astrand L, Berg G, Hammar M, Amandusson A, Blomqvist A. Hormonal replacement therapy does not affect self-estimated pain or experimental pain responses in post-menopausal women suffering from fibromyalgia: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2010; 50:544-51. [DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/keq348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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31
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Fan X, Xu H, Warner M, Gustafsson JÅ. ERβ in CNS: New Roles in Development and Function. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2010; 181:233-50. [DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(08)81013-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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32
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Takanami K, Sakamoto H, Matsuda KI, Hosokawa K, Nishi M, Prossnitz ER, Kawata M. Expression of G protein-coupled receptor 30 in the spinal somatosensory system. Brain Res 2009; 1310:17-28. [PMID: 19912997 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2009] [Revised: 10/19/2009] [Accepted: 11/04/2009] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Estrogens were originally identified as the primary sex steroid hormones in females and regulators of reproductive function and sexual behavior, but it has long been suggested that estrogens also have local effects on the somatosensory system at the spinal cord level. It is well known that the effects of estrogens are mediated by nuclear estrogen receptors (ERs) through genomic action, but recently a membrane-bound G protein-coupled receptor, GPR30, was identified as a non-genomic estrogen receptor. In this study we investigated the presence and localization of GPR30 in the rat spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in comparison with ERalpha. Using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, we showed the expression of GPR30 in DRG neurons in male and female rats at mRNA and protein levels without specific sexual difference. A dense accumulation of GPR30 immunoreactivity was observed in the outer layer of the spinal dorsal horn, and selective spinal dorsal rhizotomy revealed that GPR30 was transported from the DRG to terminals located in the spinal dorsal horn. GPR30 expression was downregulated in DRG neurons of ovariectomized female rats. The spinal somatosensory system might be modulated by estradiol via putative membrane ER, GPR30-mediated mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keiko Takanami
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
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33
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Micevych P, Dominguez R. Membrane estradiol signaling in the brain. Front Neuroendocrinol 2009; 30:315-27. [PMID: 19416735 PMCID: PMC2720427 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2009.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2009] [Revised: 04/22/2009] [Accepted: 04/23/2009] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
While the physiology of membrane-initiated estradiol signaling in the nervous system has remained elusive, a great deal of progress has been made toward understanding the activation of cell signaling. Membrane-initiated estradiol signaling activates G proteins and their downstream cascades, but the identity of membrane receptors and the proximal signaling mechanism(s) have been more difficult to elucidate. Mounting evidence suggests that classical intracellular estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) and ERbeta are trafficked to the membrane to mediate estradiol cell signaling. Moreover, an interaction of membrane ERalpha and ERbeta with metabotropic glutamate receptors has been identified that explains the pleomorphic actions of membrane-initiated estradiol signaling. This review focuses on the mechanism of actions initiated by membrane estradiol receptors and discusses the role of scaffold proteins and signaling cascades involved in the regulation of nociception, sexual receptivity and the synthesis of neuroprogesterone, an important component in the central nervous system signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Micevych
- Department of Neurobiology and the Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1763, USA.
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Estrogen-dependent changes in visceral afferent sensitivity. Auton Neurosci 2009; 153:84-9. [PMID: 19631592 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2009.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2009] [Revised: 07/02/2009] [Accepted: 07/03/2009] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Many forms of chronic pain are more prevalent in women and this is interpreted as the consequence of a direct role of estrogens in the modulation of pain perception. Some functional pain states, i.e. those without a clear and demonstrable pathology, are also more prevalent in women and the pain in these conditions is also modulated by hormonal variations during the menstrual cycle. Increased pain sensitivity is commonly interpreted as the consequence of peripheral or central hyperexcitability of nociceptive pathways. Therefore a role has been suggested for estrogen in the modulation of the excitability of nociceptive afferents and central neurons. The literature on the sign of this modulation is not uniform, with reports pointing to estrogen as either pro- or anti-nociceptive. In our hands, a permanent reduction in the levels of estrogen, such as that induced by surgical ovariectomy (OVX) generates a hyperalgesic state of slow onset and long duration that can be prevented or reversed by exogenous administration of estrogen. The hyperalgesia is characterized by mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in the abdominal and pelvic regions as well as by visceral hypersensitivity. The possible role of estrogen in the prevention of chronic painful states is discussed.
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Reed WR, Chadha HK, Hubscher CH. Effects of 17beta-estradiol on responses of viscerosomatic convergent thalamic neurons in the ovariectomized female rat. J Neurophysiol 2009; 102:1062-74. [PMID: 19553492 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00165.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Ovarian hormones have been shown to exert multiple effects on CNS function and viscerosomatic convergent activity. Ovariectomized (OVX) female rats were used in the present study to examine the long-term effects of proestrus levels of 17beta-estradiol (EB) delivered by a 60-day time-released subcutaneous pellet on the response properties of viscerosomatic convergent thalamic neurons. In addition, avoidance thresholds to mechanical stimulation for one of the convergent somatic territories, the trunk, was assessed using an electro-von Frey anesthesiometer before and at the end of the 6-wk post-OVX/implant period prior to the terminal electrophysiological experiments, which were done under urethane anesthesia. Rats implanted with an EB-containing pellet, relative to placebo controls, demonstrated 1) altered thalamic response frequencies and thresholds for cervix and vaginal but not colon stimulation; 2) some response variations for just the lateral group of thalamic subnuclei; and 3) altered thalamic response frequencies and thresholds for trunk stimulation. Thalamic response thresholds for trunk pressure in EB versus placebo rats were consistent with the avoidance thresholds obtained from the same groups. In addition, EB replacement affected visceral and somatic thresholds in opposite ways (i.e., reproductive-related structures were less sensitive to pressure, whereas somatic regions showed increased sensitivity). These results have obvious reproductive advantages (i.e., decreased reproductive organ sensitivity for copulation and increased trunk sensitivity for lordosis posturing), as well as possible clinical implications in women suffering from chronic pelvic pain syndromes and/or neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- William R Reed
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky 40292, USA
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Nag S, Wang Q, Limbird LE, Mokha SS. Knockout of spinophilin, an endogenous antagonist of arrestin-dependent alpha2-adrenoceptor functions, enhances receptor-mediated antinociception yet does not eliminate sex-related differences. Behav Brain Res 2008; 197:457-61. [PMID: 18957308 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2008.09.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2008] [Revised: 09/15/2008] [Accepted: 09/26/2008] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
We have previously shown gonadal steroid-dependent, gender specific modulation of nociception by alpha(2)-adrenoceptors. Agonist activation of the receptor enhances its association with spinophilin that antagonizes arrestin functions both by diminishing receptor phosphorylation by G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) and by competing for receptor interactions with arrestin. Since spinophilin is highly enriched in dendritic spines, we investigated whether alpha(2)-adrenoceptor-induced antinociception as well as sex-related differences are modified in spinophilin knockout mice. We evaluated alpha(2)-adrenoceptor antinociception in a heat-evoked tail flick test in spinophilin wild type (Sp(+/+)) and knockout (Sp(-/-)) mice. Baseline tail flick latencies (TFLs) did not change between any groups. Interestingly, the alpha(2)-adrenoceptor agonist, clonidine, increased TFL in male and diestrous (low estrogen) Sp(-/-) as well as Sp(+/+) mice; in fact, this increase in TFL was significantly higher in Sp(-/-) male and diestrous groups than in their Sp(+/+) counterparts. This unexpected finding is consistent with enhanced alpha(2)-adrenoceptor-mediated sedation observed previously in Sp(-/-) mice, presumably due to accelerated endocytosis of desensitized receptors and recycling of refreshed receptors when arrestin is not competed for by spinophilin in Sp(-/-) mice. Despite modulation of alpha(2)-adrenoceptor effects in Sp(-/-) mice, sex-related differences were retained; thus, clonidine was ineffective in proestrous females (highest estrogen levels), in both Sp(-/-) and Sp(+/+) mice, reaffirming that estrogen suppresses alpha(2)-adrenoceptor-evoked antinociception. These findings show that elimination of spinophilin enhances alpha(2)-adrenoceptor-evoked antinociception in estrogen-deprived physiological settings, suggesting a role for spinophilin to suppress these effects, and yet this enhanced response cannot overcome the absence of antinociception with elevated estrogen levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subodh Nag
- Department of Neurobiology and Neurotoxicology, Meharry Medical College, 1005 D.B. Todd Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37208, USA
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Micevych PE, Mermelstein PG. Membrane estrogen receptors acting through metabotropic glutamate receptors: an emerging mechanism of estrogen action in brain. Mol Neurobiol 2008; 38:66-77. [PMID: 18670908 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-008-8034-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2008] [Accepted: 06/18/2008] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
It has been over 60 years since the first studies have been published describing the effects of steroid hormones on brain function. For over 30 years, estrogen has been presumed to directly affect gene expression and protein synthesis through a specific receptor. More than 20 years ago, the first estrogen receptor was cloned and identified as a transcription factor. Yet, throughout their course of study, estrogens have also been observed to affect nervous system function via mechanisms independent of intracellular receptor regulation of gene expression. Up until recently, the membrane estrogen receptors responsible for these rapid actions have remained elusive. Recent studies have demonstrated that a large number of these rapid, membrane-initiated actions of estradiol are due to surface expression of classical estrogen receptors. This review focuses on the importance of membrane estrogen receptor interactions with metabotropic glutamate receptors for understanding rapid estradiol signaling mechanisms and downstream effectors, as well as their significance in a variety of physiological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul E Micevych
- Department of Neurobiology and Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology of the Brain Research Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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Piu F, Cheevers C, Hyldtoft L, Gardell LR, Del Tredici AL, Andersen CB, Fairbairn LC, Lund BW, Gustafsson M, Schiffer HH, Donello JE, Olsson R, Gil DW, Brann MR. Broad modulation of neuropathic pain states by a selective estrogen receptor beta agonist. Eur J Pharmacol 2008; 590:423-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2008.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2008] [Revised: 04/25/2008] [Accepted: 05/19/2008] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Many women who suffer from migraine and tension-type headaches (TTHs) have an improvement in the frequency of these headaches during pregnancy. At the same time pregnancy predisposes women to a number of potentially life-threatening conditions which can present with headache. Accurate diagnosis and treatment of headache during pregnancy is essential. REVIEW SUMMARY The primary objectives of this review are to: (1) Summarize the natural history of primary headache disorders, including migraine, tension-type, and cluster headaches during pregnancy, as well as the impact of migraine on pregnancy outcomes and complications.(2) Summarize the therapeutic options and strategies for managing headaches in pregnancy and (3) Discuss the causes of secondary headaches and the diagnostic evaluation for new onset headache during pregnancy. CONCLUSION Primary headache disorders, in particular TTHs and migraines, generally improve during pregnancy. However the frequency of improvement varies greatly. Because the pathophysiology of both migraines and TTHs is poorly understood, this limits our ability to predict improvement. Future research should be focused on headache pathophysiology and the effect of ovarian hormones and the pregnant state on headache pathogenesis.
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Gintzler AR, Schnell SA, Gupta DS, Liu NJ, Wessendorf MW. Relationship of Spinal Dynorphin Neurons to δ-Opioid Receptors and Estrogen Receptor α: Anatomical Basis for Ovarian Sex Steroid Opioid Antinociception. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2008; 326:725-31. [DOI: 10.1124/jpet.108.139816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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Thompson AD, Angelotti T, Nag S, Mokha SS. Sex-specific modulation of spinal nociception by alpha2-adrenoceptors: differential regulation by estrogen and testosterone. Neuroscience 2008; 153:1268-77. [PMID: 18434028 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2008] [Revised: 02/20/2008] [Accepted: 03/07/2008] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Sex-related differences in antinociception produced by the activation of alpha(2)-adrenoceptors (alpha(2)-ARs) have been reported, however, the precise role of gonadal steroids is still unknown. Hence, we hypothesized that estrogen and testosterone modulate antinociceptive effects of clonidine (an alpha(2)-AR agonist) on N-methyl-D-aspartate- (NMDA) and heat-induced spinal nociception. We also investigated whether estrogen or testosterone alters the expression of alpha(2A)-adrenoceptors in the spinal cord. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were implanted with PE10 cannulae in the intrathecal space of the lumbosacral spinal cord and divided into male, proestrous and diestrous female, ovariectomized (OVX), estradiol-treated OVX (OVX+E), castrated male (GDX), testosterone (GDX+T) and estradiol-treated castrated male (GDX+E) groups. Clonidine dose-dependently inhibited NMDA-induced scratching behavior in the male and OVX groups but to a significantly lesser extent in the OVX+E group. It also increased the tail withdrawal latency in the male, OVX, diestrous and GDX+T groups but not in the OVX+E, proestrous, GDX and GDX+E groups. Levels of alpha(2A)-AR mRNA were significantly higher in the OVX, estradiol-treated OVX, GDX and GDX+E animals. In contrast, alpha(2A)-AR protein levels were higher in estradiol-treated OVX, GDX, GDX+T and GDX+E animals as compared with the male. Indeed, no correlations were observed between changes in the mRNA or protein levels of alpha(2A)-AR and behavioral observations. These results support our hypothesis that sex-related differences in alpha(2)-AR-mediated modulation of spinal nociception are gonadal hormone-dependent: estrogen attenuates antinociceptive effects in females whereas testosterone is required for the expression of antinociception in males. In addition, results also revealed that the mechanism of action of gonadal hormones may not involve a global alternation in expression of alpha(2A)-AR in the spinal cord. Estrogen-induced attenuation of alpha(2)-AR-mediated inhibition of nociception could contribute to the higher prevalence of pain syndromes in women.
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Affiliation(s)
- A D Thompson
- Department of Neurobiology and Neurotoxicology, Meharry Medical College, 1005 D.B. Todd Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37208, USA
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42
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Sanoja R, Cervero F. Estrogen modulation of ovariectomy-induced hyperalgesia in adult mice. Eur J Pain 2007; 12:573-81. [PMID: 17959401 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpain.2007.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2007] [Revised: 08/14/2007] [Accepted: 09/07/2007] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Some chronic pain conditions are more prevalent in women. However, the evidence from both human and animal studies as to whether estrogen is pro- or anti-nociceptive is inconsistent. We have used a model of functional abdominal pain in mice to examine the role of estrogen in the modulation of a hyperalgesic state induced by ovariectomy. C57/BL6 female mice were either ovariectomized (OVX), received the same surgery without removing the ovaries or were tested without any surgical procedure. Mechanical hyperalgesia was assessed by von Frey filaments and thermal pain was measured using a hot-plate at 50 degrees C. OVX mice, but not sham-operated, developed mechanical hyperalgesia localized to the abdominal region, the hindlimbs and the proximal tail, 4-5 weeks after OVX as well as a reduction in response latency to the hot plate. OVX animals were implanted with 17beta-estradiol pellets or with similar pellets with no hormone five weeks after OVX, when the hyperalgesic state was fully developed, and the estrogen reversed both mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. Vaginal smears were taken to record the phase of the cycle at the time of the test from all animals and no significant differences were detected in mechanical hyperalgesia or in thermal pain threshold between normal animals in different phases of their estrous cycle. These results show that OVX induces a hyperalgesic state of slow onset and long duration that can be reversed by estrogen. We have also observed no estrous cycle modulation of pain sensitivity in normal animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raul Sanoja
- Anesthesia Research Unit (Faculty of Medicine), Faculty of Dentistry and McGill Centre for Research on Pain McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
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Craft RM, Ulibarri C, Leitl MD, Sumner JE. Dose- and time-dependent estradiol modulation of morphine antinociception in adult female rats. Eur J Pain 2007; 12:472-9. [PMID: 17869144 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpain.2007.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2007] [Revised: 07/09/2007] [Accepted: 07/30/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
To clarify the activational role of ovarian hormones on pain and analgesia, the present study determined whether estradiol (E2) modulation of nociception and morphine antinociception in adult female rats depends on (1) the dose of E2 and (2) the interval between E2 treatment and nociceptive testing. Female rats were ovariectomized (OvX) and either oil vehicle (0), or E2 (0.25, 2.5 or 25 microg/0.1 ml vehicle) was injected s.c. two consecutive days of every four days for five cycles before testing. Either 4, 24, 48 or 96 h after the last injection, nociception was evaluated on the 50 degrees C hotplate and warm water tail withdrawal tests before and after escalating doses of s.c. morphine. Lordosis behavior and uterine weight were assessed in other rats at the same E2 doses and time points. E2 significantly lengthened latency to respond on the hotplate test at 24 h after the last injection, but had no significant effect on tail withdrawal latencies. The lower doses of E2 significantly increased morphine antinociceptive potency at 4-24 h on one or both tests, but the intermediate E2 dose significantly decreased morphine potency at 48 h on the hotplate test. Thus, E2 modulation of morphine antinociception in the adult female rat is bidirectional, and occurs at E2 doses producing cyclic changes in sexual behavior, uterine weight and vaginal cytology that are similar to those observed in gonadally intact, cycling females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M Craft
- Department of Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4820, USA.
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Fan X, Kim HJ, Warner M, Gustafsson JÅ. Estrogen receptor beta is essential for sprouting of nociceptive primary afferents and for morphogenesis and maintenance of the dorsal horn interneurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007; 104:13696-701. [PMID: 17693550 PMCID: PMC1959444 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0705936104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Estrogen is known to influence pain, but the specific roles of the two estrogen receptors (ERs) in the spinal cord are unknown. In the present study, we have examined the expression of ERalpha and ERbeta in the spinal cord and have looked for defects in pain pathways in ERbeta knockout (ERbeta(-/-)) mice. In the spinal cords of 10-month-old WT mice, ERbeta-positive cells were localized in lamina II, whereas ERalpha-positive cells were mainly localized in lamina I. In ERbeta(-/-) mice, there were higher levels of calcitonin gene-regulated peptide and substance P in spinal cord dorsal horn and isolectin B4 in the dorsal root ganglion. In the superficial layers of the spinal cord, there was a decrease in the number of calretinin (CR)-positive neurons, and in the outer layer II, there was a loss of calbindin-positive interneurons. During embryogenesis, ERbeta was first detectable in the spinal cord at embryonic day 13.5 (E13.5), and ERalpha was first detectable at E15.5. During middle and later embryonic stages, ERbeta was abundantly expressed in the superficial layers of the dorsal horn. ERalpha was also expressed in the dorsal horn but was limited to fewer neurons. Double staining for ERbeta and CR showed that, in the superficial dorsal horn of WT neonates [postnatal day 0 (P0)], most CR neurons also expressed ERbeta. At this stage, few CR-positive cells were detected in the dorsal horn of ERbeta(-/-) mice. Taken together, these findings suggest that, early in embryogenesis, ERbeta is involved in dorsal horn morphogenesis and in sensory afferent fiber projections to the dorsal horn and that ERbeta is essential for survival of dorsal horn interneurons throughout life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaotang Fan
- *Division of Medical Nutrition, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, Novum, SE-141 86 Stockholm, Sweden; and
- Department of Neurobiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, People's Republic of China
| | - Hyun-Jin Kim
- *Division of Medical Nutrition, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, Novum, SE-141 86 Stockholm, Sweden; and
| | - Margaret Warner
- *Division of Medical Nutrition, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, Novum, SE-141 86 Stockholm, Sweden; and
| | - Jan-Åke Gustafsson
- *Division of Medical Nutrition, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, Novum, SE-141 86 Stockholm, Sweden; and
- To whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail:
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Stening K, Eriksson O, Wahren L, Berg G, Hammar M, Blomqvist A. Pain sensations to the cold pressor test in normally menstruating women: comparison with men and relation to menstrual phase and serum sex steroid levels. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2007; 293:R1711-6. [PMID: 17652363 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00127.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The role of gonadal hormones on pain sensations was investigated in normally menstruating women (n = 16) using the cold pressor test. Tolerance time, pain threshold, and pain intensity were examined once a week during a 4-wk period, and serum concentrations of 17beta-estradiol and progesterone were determined at each test session, which were classified into the early follicular phase, late follicular phase, early luteal phase, and late luteal phase, as determined by the first day of menses and the actual hormone levels recorded. A group of men (n = 10) of the same age interval was examined for comparison. The data show that pain threshold was reduced during the late luteal phase compared with the late follicular phase, and hormone analyses showed significant positive correlation between the progesterone concentration and lowered pain threshold and increasing pain intensity. Hormone analysis also showed an interaction between S-estradiol and S-progesterone on pain intensity, demonstrating that the increased perceived pain intensity that was associated with high progesterone concentrations was significantly reduced with increasing levels of estradiol. While no statistically significant sex differences in pain measurements were found, women displayed much more pronounced, and statistically significant, session-to-session effects than men, with increased pain threshold and decreased pain intensity with each test session. Hence, these data suggest that the changes in the serum concentration of gonadal hormones that occur during the menstrual cycle influence pain sensations elicited by noxious tonic cold stimulation and show that adaptation to the cold pressor test may be sex dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kent Stening
- Division of Cell Biology, Department of Biomedicine and Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, S-581 85 Linköping, Sweden
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Ji Y, Murphy AZ, Traub RJ. Estrogen modulation of morphine analgesia of visceral pain in female rats is supraspinally and peripherally mediated. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2007; 8:494-502. [PMID: 17383238 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2007.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2006] [Revised: 12/07/2006] [Accepted: 01/14/2007] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED We have recently reported a sex difference in morphine-induced analgesia in a visceral pain model. To test the hypothesis that estrogen plays a role in mediating this sex difference, the effect of morphine on the visceromotor response (vmr) to colorectal distention was compared between ovariectomized (OVx) and OVx with estrogen replacement (E2) rats. After demonstrating that estrogen attenuates the potency of systemically administered morphine, we tested peripheral, spinal, and supraspinal sites for estrogen modulation of micro-opioid receptor (MOR) activity. The peripheral MOR antagonist naloxone methiodide reversed the effect of systemic morphine. The peripheral MOR agonist loperamide also attenuated the vmr and in addition was more potent in OVx rats than E2 rats, demonstrating estrogen modulation of peripheral micro-opioid analgesia. Intrathecally injected morphine attenuated the vmr, with no difference in potency noted between the 2 groups. Morphine given by intracerebroventricular injection was more potent in OVx rats than in E2 rats, suggesting estrogen modulation of supraspinal micro-opioid receptors. Results from all administration routes revealed that the potency of morphine in OVx and E2 rats was similar to male and intact female rats, respectively, suggesting that estrogen is one of the key factors contributing to the sex difference in micro-opioid analgesia. PERSPECTIVE Female rats are less sensitive to morphine analgesia of visceral pain than male rats. This study demonstrates that estrogen decreases the analgesic potency of peripheral and supraspinal but not spinal morphine in a model of visceral pain and may be a key factor contributing to the sex difference in micro-opioid analgesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaping Ji
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA
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Cornil CA, Ball GF, Balthazart J. Functional significance of the rapid regulation of brain estrogen action: where do the estrogens come from? Brain Res 2006; 1126:2-26. [PMID: 16978590 PMCID: PMC3523229 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.07.098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 182] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2006] [Revised: 07/26/2006] [Accepted: 07/27/2006] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Estrogens exert a wide variety of actions on reproductive and non-reproductive functions. These effects are mediated by slow and long lasting genomic as well as rapid and transient non-genomic mechanisms. Besides the host of studies demonstrating the role of genomic actions at the physiological and behavioral level, mounting evidence highlights the functional significance of non-genomic effects. However, the source of the rapid changes in estrogen availability that are necessary to sustain their fast actions is rarely questioned. For example, the rise of plasma estrogens at pro-estrus that represents one of the fastest documented changes in plasma estrogen concentration appears too slow to explain these actions. Alternatively, estrogen can be synthesized in the brain by the enzyme aromatase providing a source of locally high concentrations of the steroid. Furthermore, recent studies demonstrate that brain aromatase can be rapidly modulated by afferent inputs, including glutamatergic afferents. A role for rapid changes in estrogen production in the central nervous system is supported by experiments showing that acute aromatase inhibition affects nociception as well as male sexual behavior and that preoptic aromatase activity is rapidly (within min) modulated following mating. Such mechanisms thus fulfill the gap existing between the fast actions of estrogen and their mode of production and open new avenues for the understanding of estrogenic effects on the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte A Cornil
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 108 Ames Hall, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-2686, USA.
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48
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Claiborne J, Nag S, Mokha SS. Activation of opioid receptor like-1 receptor in the spinal cord produces sex-specific antinociception in the rat: estrogen attenuates antinociception in the female, whereas testosterone is required for the expression of antinociception in the male. J Neurosci 2006; 26:13048-53. [PMID: 17167094 PMCID: PMC6674956 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4783-06.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2006] [Revised: 11/09/2006] [Accepted: 11/09/2006] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex-related differences in the perception and modulation of pain have been reported. The present study is the first to investigate systematically whether activation of opioid receptor-like 1 receptor (ORL1) by orphanin FQ (OFQ) produces sex-specific modulation of spinal nociception and whether estrogen or testosterone contributes to these differences using the rat as an experimental animal. Two behavioral models, the NMDA and heat-induced nociceptive tests, were used to examine sex-specific modulation of spinal nociception. Intrathecal microinjection of OFQ in male, ovariectomized (OVX), and diestrous rats produced a significant antinociceptive effect on both tests. However, OFQ failed to produce antinociception in proestrous rats, the phase of the estrous cycle with the highest levels of circulating estradiol, and produced a dose-dependent effect in OVX females treated with 1 ng to 100 microg of estradiol. The antinociceptive effects of OFQ were dose dependent in male and OVX animals and were reversibly antagonized by UFP-101 ([Nphe1,Arg14,Lys15]N/OFQ(1-13)-NH2), an ORL1 receptor-selective antagonist. Interestingly, OFQ was ineffective in gonadectomized (GDX) males, whereas testosterone replacement restored the antinociceptive effect of OFQ in GDX males. We conclude that OFQ produces sex-specific modulation of spinal nociception; estrogen attenuates antinociception in the female in parallel with normal cycling of estrogen levels, and testosterone is required for the expression of antinociception in the male; thus, the sensitivity of the male to the antinociceptive effects of OFQ is not simply attributable to the intrinsically low estrogen levels in these animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jomo Claiborne
- Division of Neurobiology and Neurotoxicology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee 37208
| | - Subodh Nag
- Division of Neurobiology and Neurotoxicology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee 37208
| | - Sukhbir S. Mokha
- Division of Neurobiology and Neurotoxicology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee 37208
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Söderberg K, Sundström Poromaa I, Nyberg S, Bäckström T, Nordh E. Psychophysically determined thresholds for thermal perception and pain perception in healthy women across the menstrual cycle. Clin J Pain 2006; 22:610-6. [PMID: 16926576 DOI: 10.1097/01.ajp.0000210904.75472.63] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Several studies have indicated changes in sensation and/or pain sensitivity among women across the menstrual cycle, but the pattern of the changes varies considerably. One reason for the reported discrepancies could reside in lack of biochemical definition of menstrual cycle phase. The aim was to quantify temperature and temperature pain thresholds at biochemically defined stages of the menstrual cycle. METHODS Nineteen healthy women were included in the study. Temperature and temperature pain thresholds were evaluated by quantitative sensory testing, performed at 3 occasions during the menstrual cycle (early follicular phase, late follicular phase, and mid-luteal phase). At each test session, serum concentrations of estradiol and progesterone were assessed. RESULTS Thermal cold perception threshold at the mammilla was significantly lower in the late follicular and mid-luteal phases, compared with the early follicular phase (P<0.05, respectively). For the remaining test sites, no cycle related differences in thermal perception or thermal thresholds could be documented. CONCLUSIONS The present study has indicated no major changes in thermal pain thresholds related to phase of the menstrual cycle for the tested locations, although thermal cold perception threshold at the mammilla was a significantly lower in the late follicular and mid-luteal phases, compared with the early follicular phase. The findings of the present study further underlines the need for strict criteria for menstrual cycle phase when studying pain sensitivity in relation to hormonal events in women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Söderberg
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neurosciences, Clinical Neurophysiology, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
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Evrard HC. Estrogen synthesis in the spinal dorsal horn: a new central mechanism for the hormonal regulation of pain. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2006; 291:R291-9. [PMID: 16914420 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00930.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The data summarized here suggest the existence of a new central pathway for the hormonal regulation of pain. These data mainly collected in quail, a useful model in neuroendocrinology, demonstrate that numerous neurons in the superficial laminae of the spinal cord express aromatase (estrogen-synthase). Chronic and systemic blockade of this enzyme in quail alters nociception within days, indicating that the slow genomic effects of sex steroids on nociception classically observed in mammals also occur in birds and require aromatization of androgens into estrogens. However, by contrast with these slow effects, acute intrathecal inhibition of aromatase in restricted spinal cord segments reveals that estrogens can also control nociception much faster, within 1 min, presumably through the activation of a nongenomic pathway and in a manner that depends on an immediate response to fast activation/deactivation of local aromatase activity. This emergent central and rapid paracrine mechanism might permit instantaneous and segment-specific changes in pain sensitivity; it draws new interesting perspectives for the study of the estrogenic control of pain, thus far limited to the classical view of slow genomic changes in pain, depending on peripheral estrogens. The expression of aromatase in the spinal cord in other species and in other central nociception-related areas is also briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry C Evrard
- Center for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, Research Group in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, University of Liège, Belgium.
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