Pheromones enhance somatosensory processing in newt brains through a vasotocin-dependent mechanism.

We tested whether the sex pheromones that stimulate courtship clasping in male roughskin newts do so, at least in part, by amplifying the somatosensory signals that directly trigger the motor pattern associated with clasping and, if so, whether that amplification is dependent on endogenous vasotocin (VT). Female olfactory stimuli increased the number of action potentials recorded in the medulla of males in response to tactile stimulation of the cloaca, which triggers the clasp motor reflex, as well as to tactile stimulation of the snout and hindlimb. That enhancement was blocked by exposing the medulla to a V1a receptor antagonist before pheromone exposure. However, the antagonist did not affect medullary responses to tactile stimuli in the absence of pheromone exposure, suggesting that pheromones amplify somatosensory signals by inducing endogenous VT release. The ability of VT to couple sensory systems together in response to social stimulation could allow this peptide to induce variable behavioural outcomes, depending on the immediate context of the social interaction and thus on the nature of the associated stimuli that are amplified. If widespread in vertebrates, this mechanism could account for some of the behavioural variability associated with this and related peptides both within and across species.

The effect of the palmitoylethanolamide analogue, palmitoylallylamide (L-29) on pain behaviour in rodent models of neuropathy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cannabinoids are associated with analgesia in acute and chronic pain states. A spectrum of central cannabinoid (CB(1)) receptor-mediated motor and psychotropic side effects limit their therapeutic potential. Here, we investigate the analgesic effect of the palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) analogue, palmitoylallylamide (L-29), which via inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) may potentiate endocannabinoids thereby avoiding psychotropic side effects. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: The in vivo analysis of the effect of L-29 on measures of pain behaviour in three rat models of neuropathic pain. KEY RESULTS: Systemically administered L-29 (10 mg kg(-1)) reduced hypersensitivity to mechanical and thermal stimuli in the partial sciatic nerve injury (PSNI) model of neuropathic pain; and mechanical hypersensitivity in a model of antiretroviral (ddC)-associated hypersensitivity and a model of varicella zoster virus (VZV)-associated hypersensitivity. The effects of L-29 were comparable to those of gabapentin (50 mg kg(-1)). The CB(1) receptor antagonist SR141716a (1 mg kg(-1)) and the CB(2) receptor antagonist SR144528 (1 mg kg(-1)) reduced the effect of L-29 on hypersensitivity in the PSNI and ddC models, but not in the VZV model. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha antagonist, MK-886 (1 mg kg(-1)), partially attenuated the effect of L-29 on hypersensitivity in the PSNI model. L-29 (10 mg kg(-1)) significantly attenuated thigmotactic behaviour in the open field arena without effect on locomotor activity. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: L-29 produces analgesia in a range of neuropathic pain models. This presents L-29 as a novel analgesic compound that may target the endogenous cannabinoid system while avoiding undesirable side effects associated with direct cannabinoid receptor activation.

Quantification of the rat spinal microglial response to peripheral nerve injury as revealed by immunohistochemical image analysis and flow cytometry.

Microgliosis is implicated in the pathophysiology of several neurological disorders, including neuropathic pain. Consequently, perturbation of microgliosis is a mechanistic and drug development target in neuropathic pain, which highlights the requirement for specific, sensitive and reproducible methods of microgliosis measurement. In this study, we used the spinal microgliosis associated with L5 spinal nerve transection and minocycline-induced attenuation thereof to: (1) evaluate novel software based semi-quantitative image analysis paradigms for the assessment of immunohistochemical images. Microgliosis was revealed by immunoreactivity to OX42. Several image analysis paradigms were assessed and compared to a previously validated subjective categorical rating scale. This comparison revealed that grey scale measurement of the proportion of a defined area of spinal cord occupied by OX42 immunoreactive cells is a robust image analysis paradigm. (2) Develop and validate a flow cytometric approach for quantification of spinal microgliosis. The flow cytometric technique reliably quantified microgliosis in spinal cord cell suspensions, using OX42 and ED9 immunoreactivity to identify microglia. The results suggest that image analysis of immunohistochemical revelation of microgliosis reliably detects the spinal microgliosis in response to peripheral nerve injury and pharmacological attenuation thereof. In addition, flow cytometry provides an alternative approach for quantitative analysis of spinal microgliosis elicited by nerve injury.

The correlation between pain-related behaviour and spinal microgliosis in four distinct models of peripheral neuropathy.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral nerve injury is associated with a spinal microglial response that has been correlated with the development of behaviours reflective of neuropathic pain. METHODS: To examine whether this phenomenon is generalizable to neuropathic pain of non-traumatic aetiology, this study investigated the association between spinal microgliosis and behavioural measures of neuropathic hypersensitivity and pain-related anxiety behaviour in four distinct rat models of peripheral neuropathic pain. These were traumatic neuropathy [L5 spinal nerve transection (SNT)], HIV-related neuropathies (either treatment with the antiretroviral drug Zalcitabine (ddC) or combination of perineural exposure to the HIV-gp120 protein and ddC treatment) and varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Persistent mechanical hypersensitivity developed in all 'neuropathic' rats. However, spinal microgliosis, as measured by increased CD11b/c immunohistochemical staining and increased numbers of cells expressing CD11b measured by flow cytometry, was evident in the SNT and to a lesser extent in the HIV neuropathy models but not the VZV model. These results suggest that behavioural hypersensitivity and thigmotaxis can only be linked to a microglial response in certain models of neuropathy.