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Desensitization of cold- and menthol-sensitive rat dorsal root ganglion neurones by inflammatory mediators

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Abstract

The interaction between cold sensitivity and inflammation in mammals is not entirely understood. We have used adult rat dorsal root ganglion neurones in primary culture together with calcium microfluorimetry to assess the effects of selected inflammatory mediators on cold responses of cold- and menthol-sensitive (most likely TRPM8-expressing) neurones. We observed a high degree of functional co-expression of TRPM8, the receptors for the inflammatory agents bradykinin, prostaglandin E2 and histamine, and TRPA1 in cultured sensory neurones. Treatment with either bradykinin or prostaglandin E2 led to a reduction in the amplitude of the response to cooling and shifted the threshold temperature to colder values, and we provide evidence for a role of protein kinases C and A, respectively, in mediating these effects. In both cases the effects were mainly restricted to the subgroups of cold- and menthol-sensitive cells which had responded to the application of the inflammatory agents at basal temperature. This desensitization of cold-sensitive neurones may enhance inflammatory pain by removing the analgesic effects of gentle cooling.

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Abbreviations

DRG:

Dorsal root ganglia

CMS:

Cold- and menthol-sensitive neurones

BK:

Bradykinin

PGE2 :

Prostaglandin E2

HA:

Histamine

CA:

Cinnamon aldehyde

PKA:

Protein kinase A

PKC:

Protein kinase C

8-Br-cAMP:

8 Bromo cyclic AMP

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Prof. Peter Reeh for valuable comments on the manuscript and helpful discussions. We thank Prof. Maria-Luiza Flonta for constant support, Dr. Eva Lörinczi and Dr. Klaus Fendler for logistic help and Cristian Neacşu for technical help. Funding was from the Volkswagen Foundation, the Romanian Research Council (CNCSIS), the Romanian Ministry for Education and Research through its Excellence Grants and the Physiological Society. A.B. acknowledges the Humboldt Foundation for financial support.

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  1. Alexandru Babes

    Present address: Institute for Physiology and Experimental Pathophysiology, University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Universitätsstr. 17, 91054, Erlangen, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Splaiul Independentei 91-95, Bucharest, Romania

    Ramona Madalina Linte, Cristian Ciobanu, Gordon Reid & Alexandru Babes

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  1. Ramona Madalina Linte
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  2. Cristian Ciobanu
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  3. Gordon Reid
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Correspondence to Alexandru Babes.

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Linte, R.M., Ciobanu, C., Reid, G. et al. Desensitization of cold- and menthol-sensitive rat dorsal root ganglion neurones by inflammatory mediators. Exp Brain Res 178, 89–98 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-006-0712-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-006-0712-3

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