Meningeal dendritic cells drive neuropathic pain through elevation of the kynurenine metabolic pathway in mice
Alexandre G. Maganin, … , Andrew Mellor, Thiago M. Cunha
Alexandre G. Maganin, … , Andrew Mellor, Thiago M. Cunha
Published October 13, 2022
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2022;132(23):e153805. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI153805.
View: Text | PDF
Research Article Metabolism Neuroscience

Meningeal dendritic cells drive neuropathic pain through elevation of the kynurenine metabolic pathway in mice

Abstract

Neuropathic pain is one of the most important clinical consequences of injury to the somatosensory system. Nevertheless, the critical pathophysiological mechanisms involved in neuropathic pain development are poorly understood. In this study, we found that neuropathic pain is abrogated when the kynurenine metabolic pathway (KYNPATH) initiated by the enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is ablated pharmacologically or genetically. Mechanistically, it was found that IDO1-expressing dendritic cells (DCs) accumulated in the dorsal root leptomeninges and led to an increase in kynurenine levels in the spinal cord. In the spinal cord, kynurenine was metabolized by kynurenine-3-monooxygenase–expressing astrocytes into the pronociceptive metabolite 3-hydroxykynurenine. Ultimately, 3-hydroxyanthranilate 3,4-dioxygenase–derived quinolinic acid formed in the final step of the canonical KYNPATH was also involved in neuropathic pain development through the activation of the glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor. In conclusion, these data revealed a role for DCs driving neuropathic pain development through elevation of the KYNPATH. This paradigm offers potential new targets for drug development against this type of chronic pain.

Authors

Alexandre G. Maganin, Guilherme R. Souza, Miriam D. Fonseca, Alexandre H. Lopes, Rafaela M. Guimarães, André Dagostin, Nerry T. Cecilio, Atlante S. Mendes, William A. Gonçalves, Conceição E.A. Silva, Francisco Isaac Fernandes Gomes, Lucas M. Mauriz Marques, Rangel L. Silva, Letícia M. Arruda, Denis A. Santana, Henrique Lemos, Lei Huang, Marcela Davoli-Ferreira, Danielle Santana-Coelho, Morena B. Sant’Anna, Ricardo Kusuda, Jhimmy Talbot, Gabriela Pacholczyk, Gabriela A. Buqui, Norberto P. Lopes, Jose C. Alves-Filho, Ricardo M. Leão, Jason C. O’Connor, Fernando Q. Cunha, Andrew Mellor, Thiago M. Cunha

×

Figure 11

The pronociceptive activity of QA depends on upmodulation of NMDA currents.

Options: View larger image (or click on image) Download as PowerPoint
The pronociceptive activity of QA depends on upmodulation of NMDA curren...
(A) Mechanical nociceptive thresholds were evaluated before and up to 48 hours after intrathecal (i.t.) injection of quinolinic acid (QA; 0.8–80 nmol) or vehicle (saline) in WT mice (n = 5). (B) Mechanical nociceptive threshold was evaluated before and up to 48 hours after i.t. injection of QA (80 nmol) in mice pretreated with MK801 (10 nmol) or vehicle (n = 4–5). (C) Representative trace and (D) quantification of QA (5–500 μM) eliciting an inward current (n = 5) and promoting an augmentation in peak-to-peak noise variance (E, n = 5) in spinal cord neurons. (F and G) Both effects were antagonized by the NMDA antagonist DAP-5 (50 μM, n = 4). Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 versus vehicle, treatment, or current baseline by 2-way ANOVA with Bonferroni’s post hoc test (A and B), paired 2-tailed Student’s t test (D and E), or unpaired 2-tailed Student’s t test (G).