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Silveira Prudente A, Hoon Lee S, Roh J, Luckemeyer DD, Cohen CF, Pertin M, Park CK, Suter MR, Decosterd I, Zhang JM, Ji RR, Berta T. Microglial STING activation alleviates nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain in male but not female mice. Brain Behav Immun 2024; 117:51-65. [PMID: 38190983 PMCID: PMC11034751 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Microglia, resident immune cells in the central nervous system, play a role in neuroinflammation and the development of neuropathic pain. We found that the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) is predominantly expressed in spinal microglia and upregulated after peripheral nerve injury. However, mechanical allodynia, as a marker of neuropathic pain following peripheral nerve injury, did not require microglial STING expression. In contrast, STING activation by specific agonists (ADU-S100, 35 nmol) significantly alleviated neuropathic pain in male mice, but not female mice. STING activation in female mice leads to increase in proinflammatory cytokines that may counteract the analgesic effect of ADU-S100. Microglial STING expression and type I interferon-ß (IFN-ß) signaling were required for the analgesic effects of STING agonists in male mice. Mechanistically, downstream activation of TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) and the production of IFN-ß, may partly account for the analgesic effect observed. These findings suggest that STING activation in spinal microglia could be a potential therapeutic intervention for neuropathic pain, particularly in males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Silveira Prudente
- Pain Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Sang Hoon Lee
- Pain Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Jueun Roh
- Pain Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Department of Physiology, Gachon Pain Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Debora D Luckemeyer
- Pain Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Cinder F Cohen
- Pain Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Marie Pertin
- Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Chul-Kyu Park
- Department of Physiology, Gachon Pain Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Marc R Suter
- Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Isabelle Decosterd
- Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jun-Ming Zhang
- Pain Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Ru-Rong Ji
- Center for Translational Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Departments of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Temugin Berta
- Pain Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
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Conus regius-Derived Conotoxins: Novel Therapeutic Opportunities from a Marine Organism. Mar Drugs 2022; 20:md20120773. [PMID: 36547920 PMCID: PMC9783627 DOI: 10.3390/md20120773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Conus regius is a marine venomous mollusk of the Conus genus that captures its prey by injecting a rich cocktail of bioactive disulfide bond rich peptides called conotoxins. These peptides selectively target a broad range of ion channels, membrane receptors, transporters, and enzymes, making them valuable pharmacological tools and potential drug leads. C. regius-derived conotoxins are particularly attractive due to their marked potency and selectivity against specific nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes, whose signalling is involved in pain, cognitive disorders, drug addiction, and cancer. However, the species-specific differences in sensitivity and the low stability and bioavailability of these conotoxins limit their clinical development as novel therapeutic agents for these disorders. Here, we give an overview of the main pharmacological features of the C. regius-derived conotoxins described so far, focusing on the molecular mechanisms underlying their potential therapeutic effects. Additionally, we describe adoptable chemical engineering solutions to improve their pharmacological properties for future potential clinical translation.
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Abstract
Neuraxial drug administration, i.e., the injection of drugs into the epidural or intrathecal space to produce anesthesia or analgesia, is a technique developed more than 120 years ago. Today, it still is widely used in daily practice in anesthesiology and in acute and chronic pain therapy. A multitude of different drugs have been introduced for neuraxial injection, only a part of which have obtained official approval for that indication. A broad understanding of the pharmacology of those agents is essential to the clinician to utilize them in a safe and efficient manner. In the present narrative review, we summarize current knowledge on neuraxial anatomy relevant to clinical practice, including pediatric anatomy. Then, we delineate the general pharmacology of neuraxial drug administration, with particular attention to specific aspects of epidural and intrathecal pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Furthermore, we describe the most common clinical indications for neuraxial drug administration, including the perioperative setting, obstetrics, and chronic pain. Then, we discuss possible neurotoxic effects of neuraxial drugs, and moreover, we detail the specific properties of the most commonly used neuraxial drugs that are relevant to clinicians who employ epidural or intrathecal drug administration, in order to ensure adequate treatment and patient safety in these techniques. Finally, we give a brief overview on new developments in neuraxial drug therapy.
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Borges JP, Mekhail K, Fairn GD, Antonescu CN, Steinberg BE. Modulation of Pathological Pain by Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:642820. [PMID: 34054523 PMCID: PMC8149758 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.642820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic pain has been widely recognized as a major public health problem that impacts multiple aspects of patient quality of life. Unfortunately, chronic pain is often resistant to conventional analgesics, which are further limited by their various side effects. New therapeutic strategies and targets are needed to better serve the millions of people suffering from this devastating disease. To this end, recent clinical and preclinical studies have implicated the epidermal growth factor receptor signaling pathway in chronic pain states. EGFR is one of four members of the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases that have key roles in development and the progression of many cancers. EGFR functions by activating many intracellular signaling pathways following binding of various ligands to the receptor. Several of these signaling pathways, such as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, are known mediators of pain. EGFR inhibitors are known for their use as cancer therapeutics but given recent evidence in pilot clinical and preclinical investigations, may have clinical use for treating chronic pain. Here, we review the clinical and preclinical evidence implicating EGFR in pathological pain states and provide an overview of EGFR signaling highlighting how EGFR and its ligands drive pain hypersensitivity and interact with important pain pathways such as the opioid system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jazlyn P Borges
- Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Katrina Mekhail
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Gregory D Fairn
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Costin N Antonescu
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Benjamin E Steinberg
- Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
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