Attempt at identifying pathogenic antigens of painful autoimmune neuropathy

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K15339
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Pain science
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: KURIHARA Takashi 鹿児島大学, 医歯学域医学系, 准教授 (60282745)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): YUKI Nobuhiro シンガポール国立大学, 医学部, 前教授 (60285913) ; Wilder-Smith Einar P. シンガポール国立大学, 医学部, 教授 ; Devaux Jérôme J エクス=マルセイユ大学, 神経科学研究センター, 主任研究員
• Research Collaborator: FUKUDOME Gaku ; YOUKAI Masafumi
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 有痛性神経障害 / 自己免疫疾患 / 受動移入 / 脊髄 / 一次知覚神経 / 後根神経節

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We present three patients with acute onset and monophasic course of painful neuropathy, who had antecedent infectious symptoms. IgG antibodies in their acute phase sera strongly bound to murine spinal dorsal horn, small neurons in the dorsal root ganglia, and small nerve fibres. Interestingly, the bindings disappeared during the convalescent phase. Furthermore, serum transfer to a mouse nociceptive model induced transient alteration in thermal pain responses. Our case series suggest that an acute transient immune response can be directed against the nociceptive pathway. Although we have still not been able to identify the target antigens, we try to recruit large cohorts of patients to support the identification of the pathogenic antigens in these patients.

Free Research Field

疼痛学