TRPV1 channels are critical brain inflammation detectors and neuropathic pain biomarkers in mice.
Maria Cristina MarroneAnnunziato MorabitoMichela GiustizieriValerio ChiurchiùAlessandro LeutiMarzia MattioliSara MarinelliLoredana RigantiMarta LombardiEmanuele MuranaAntonio TotaroDaniele PiomelliDavide RagozzinoSergio OddiMauro MaccarroneClaudia VerderioSilvia MarinelliPublished in: Nature communications (2017)
The capsaicin receptor TRPV1 has been widely characterized in the sensory system as a key component of pain and inflammation. A large amount of evidence shows that TRPV1 is also functional in the brain although its role is still debated. Here we report that TRPV1 is highly expressed in microglial cells rather than neurons of the anterior cingulate cortex and other brain areas. We found that stimulation of microglial TRPV1 controls cortical microglia activation per se and indirectly enhances glutamatergic transmission in neurons by promoting extracellular microglial microvesicles shedding. Conversely, in the cortex of mice suffering from neuropathic pain, TRPV1 is also present in neurons affecting their intrinsic electrical properties and synaptic strength. Altogether, these findings identify brain TRPV1 as potential detector of harmful stimuli and a key player of microglia to neuron communication.
Keyphrases
- neuropathic pain
- spinal cord
- resting state
- spinal cord injury
- functional connectivity
- white matter
- oxidative stress
- cerebral ischemia
- induced apoptosis
- type diabetes
- magnetic resonance
- signaling pathway
- cell cycle arrest
- risk assessment
- cell death
- cell proliferation
- image quality
- blood brain barrier
- lipopolysaccharide induced
- lps induced
- prefrontal cortex