Neural Regeneration Research (Jan 2024)

Activation of G-protein-coupled receptor 39 reduces neuropathic pain in a rat model

  • Longqing Zhang,
  • Xi Tan,
  • Fanhe Song,
  • Danyang Li,
  • Jiayi Wu,
  • Shaojie Gao,
  • Jia Sun,
  • Daiqiang Liu,
  • Yaqun Zhou,
  • Wei Mei

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/1673-5374.380905
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19, no. 3
pp. 687 – 696

Abstract

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[INLINE:1] Activated G-protein-coupled receptor 39 (GPR39) has been shown to attenuate inflammation by interacting with sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α). However, whether GPR39 attenuates neuropathic pain remains unclear. In this study, we established a Sprague-Dawley rat model of spared nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain and found that GPR39 expression was significantly decreased in neurons and microglia in the spinal dorsal horn compared with sham-operated rats. Intrathecal injection of TC-G 1008, a specific agonist of GPR39, significantly alleviated mechanical allodynia in the rats with spared nerve injury, improved spinal cord mitochondrial biogenesis, and alleviated neuroinflammation. These changes were abolished by GPR39 small interfering RNA (siRNA), Ex-527 (SIRT1 inhibitor), and PGC-1α siRNA. Taken together, these findings show that GPR39 activation ameliorates mechanical allodynia by activating the SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway in rats with spared nerve injury.

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