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Sex-Dependent Glial Signaling in Pathological Pain: Distinct Roles of Spinal Microglia and Astrocytes.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Chen, G; Luo, X; Qadri, MY; Berta, T; Ji, R-R
Published in: Neurosci Bull
February 2018

Increasing evidence suggests that spinal microglia regulate pathological pain in males. In this study, we investigated the effects of several microglial and astroglial modulators on inflammatory and neuropathic pain following intrathecal injection in male and female mice. These modulators were the microglial inhibitors minocycline and ZVEID (a caspase-6 inhibitor) and the astroglial inhibitors L-α-aminoadipate (L-AA, an astroglial toxin) and carbenoxolone (a connexin 43 inhibitor), as well as U0126 (an ERK kinase inhibitor) and D-JNKI-1 (a c-Jun N-terminal kinase inhibitor). We found that spinal administration of minocycline or ZVEID, or Caspase6 deletion, reduced formalin-induced inflammatory and nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain primarily in male mice. In contrast, intrathecal L-AA reduced neuropathic pain but not inflammatory pain in both sexes. Intrathecal U0126 and D-JNKI-1 reduced neuropathic pain in both sexes. Nerve injury caused spinal upregulation of the astroglial markers GFAP and Connexin 43 in both sexes. Collectively, our data confirmed male-dominant microglial signaling but also revealed sex-independent astroglial signaling in the spinal cord in inflammatory and neuropathic pain.

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Published In

Neurosci Bull

DOI

EISSN

1995-8218

Publication Date

February 2018

Volume

34

Issue

1

Start / End Page

98 / 108

Location

Singapore

Related Subject Headings

  • Time Factors
  • Spinal Cord
  • Sex Characteristics
  • Phenylurea Compounds
  • Pain Measurement
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Neuralgia
  • Minocycline
  • Microglia
  • Mice, Transgenic
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Chen, G., Luo, X., Qadri, M. Y., Berta, T., & Ji, R.-R. (2018). Sex-Dependent Glial Signaling in Pathological Pain: Distinct Roles of Spinal Microglia and Astrocytes. Neurosci Bull, 34(1), 98–108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-017-0145-y
Chen, Gang, Xin Luo, M Yawar Qadri, Temugin Berta, and Ru-Rong Ji. “Sex-Dependent Glial Signaling in Pathological Pain: Distinct Roles of Spinal Microglia and Astrocytes.Neurosci Bull 34, no. 1 (February 2018): 98–108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-017-0145-y.
Chen G, Luo X, Qadri MY, Berta T, Ji R-R. Sex-Dependent Glial Signaling in Pathological Pain: Distinct Roles of Spinal Microglia and Astrocytes. Neurosci Bull. 2018 Feb;34(1):98–108.
Chen, Gang, et al. “Sex-Dependent Glial Signaling in Pathological Pain: Distinct Roles of Spinal Microglia and Astrocytes.Neurosci Bull, vol. 34, no. 1, Feb. 2018, pp. 98–108. Pubmed, doi:10.1007/s12264-017-0145-y.
Chen G, Luo X, Qadri MY, Berta T, Ji R-R. Sex-Dependent Glial Signaling in Pathological Pain: Distinct Roles of Spinal Microglia and Astrocytes. Neurosci Bull. 2018 Feb;34(1):98–108.
Journal cover image

Published In

Neurosci Bull

DOI

EISSN

1995-8218

Publication Date

February 2018

Volume

34

Issue

1

Start / End Page

98 / 108

Location

Singapore

Related Subject Headings

  • Time Factors
  • Spinal Cord
  • Sex Characteristics
  • Phenylurea Compounds
  • Pain Measurement
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Neuralgia
  • Minocycline
  • Microglia
  • Mice, Transgenic