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Passive transfer of fibromyalgia symptoms from patients to mice
Andreas Goebel, … , Camilla I. Svensson, David A. Andersson
Andreas Goebel, … , Camilla I. Svensson, David A. Andersson
Published July 1, 2021
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2021;131(13):e144201. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI144201.
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Research Article Neuroscience

Passive transfer of fibromyalgia symptoms from patients to mice

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Abstract

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is characterized by widespread pain and tenderness, and patients typically experience fatigue and emotional distress. The etiology and pathophysiology of fibromyalgia are not fully explained and there are no effective drug treatments. Here we show that IgG from FMS patients produced sensory hypersensitivity by sensitizing nociceptive neurons. Mice treated with IgG from FMS patients displayed increased sensitivity to noxious mechanical and cold stimulation, and nociceptive fibers in skin-nerve preparations from mice treated with FMS IgG displayed an increased responsiveness to cold and mechanical stimulation. These mice also displayed reduced locomotor activity, reduced paw grip strength, and a loss of intraepidermal innervation. In contrast, transfer of IgG-depleted serum from FMS patients or IgG from healthy control subjects had no effect. Patient IgG did not activate naive sensory neurons directly. IgG from FMS patients labeled satellite glial cells and neurons in vivo and in vitro, as well as myelinated fiber tracts and a small number of macrophages and endothelial cells in mouse dorsal root ganglia (DRG), but no cells in the spinal cord. Furthermore, FMS IgG bound to human DRG. Our results demonstrate that IgG from FMS patients produces painful sensory hypersensitivities by sensitizing peripheral nociceptive afferents and suggest that therapies reducing patient IgG titers may be effective for fibromyalgia.

Authors

Andreas Goebel, Emerson Krock, Clive Gentry, Mathilde R. Israel, Alexandra Jurczak, Carlos Morado Urbina, Katalin Sandor, Nisha Vastani, Margot Maurer, Ulku Cuhadar, Serena Sensi, Yuki Nomura, Joana Menezes, Azar Baharpoor, Louisa Brieskorn, Angelica Sandström, Jeanette Tour, Diana Kadetoff, Lisbet Haglund, Eva Kosek, Stuart Bevan, Camilla I. Svensson, David A. Andersson

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Figure 6

Passive transfer of FMS IgG sensitizes nociceptors.

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Passive transfer of FMS IgG sensitizes nociceptors.
The mechanical activ...
The mechanical activation thresholds of (A) Aδ- (AM) and (B) C-mechanonociceptors (CM) were reduced in preparations from mice treated with FMS compared with HC IgG (n = 22–27 single units). *P < 0.05 by 1-tailed Mann-Whitney U test. (C) The example trace illustrates a mechanical threshold response (evoked by the minimum force required to elicit at least 2 spikes) in a CM unit. (D) The proportion of cold-sensitive CM units (CMCs) was increased in preparations from mice treated with FMS IgG (21 of 29 units responded to cold) compared with HC IgG (13 of 28 units responded to cold). *P < 0.05 by 1-sided Fisher’s exact test. (E) The cold-activation thresholds of CMC fibers did not differ between FMS and HC preparations (n = 13–21). P > 0.05 by 1-tailed t test. (F) The example trace illustrates a cold-evoked response in a CMC fiber. (G) Application of FMS IgG (200 μg/mL) to isolated DRG neurons loaded with Fura-2 was without effect on [Ca2+]i in all 870 examined neurons (identified by their response to 50 mM KCl). The red trace illustrates the average time course of the displayed 230 neurons.

Copyright © 2023 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

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