Glial activation in the spinal cord contributes to induction of sciatica

2011 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21591908
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Orthopaedic surgery
• Research Institution: Hyogo Medical University
• Principal Investigator: TACHIBANA Toshiya 兵庫医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (40299095)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MIYOSHI Kan 兵庫医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (30454755)
• Project Period (FY): 2009 – 2011
• Keywords: 脊椎脊髄病学

Research Abstract

In order to investigate the molecular mechanisms of pain seen in orthopedic clinics, such as root injury/compression pain, we have used two rat models of root injury-induced pain. One is ventral root injury model and another is dorsal root injury model. We examined the pain behaviors of these two models and found that the ventral root injury model showed more stable hyperalgesia and allodynia compared to dorsal root injury model. Using immunohistochemistry with antibodies for Iba-1 and GFAP, we found that activation of glial cells(microglia and astrocyte) in the spinal cord even after ventral root injury. We also confirmed that phosphorylated ERK was increased in the spinal cord in the ventral root injury model, which might have a role in ventral injury-induced pain hypersensitivity. With collaboration with a laboratory in USA, we published a paper in J. Neurosci, where the finding that neuro-glial interaction is important in descending pain accelerating pathway in the spinal cord, was presented.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Abrogation of Treg function deteriorates rheumatoid arthritis (2012)
  • Author(s): Yamagiwa T, Fukunishi S, Tachibana T, Okamura H, Yoshiya S, Kashiwamura S.
  • Journal Title: Mod Rheumatol Volume: 22(1) Pages: 80-8
  • DOI: DOI:10.1007/s10165-011-0476-x
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Re-evaluation of the phenotypic changes in L4 dorsal root ganglion neurons after L5 spinal nerve ligation (2012)
  • Author(s): Fukuoka T, Yamanaka H, Kobayashi K, Okubo M, Miyoshi K, Dai Y, Noguchi K.
  • Journal Title: Pain Volume: 153 Pages: 68-79
  • DOI: DOI:10.1016/j.pain.2011.09.009
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Spinal 5-HT(3) receptor activation induces behavioral hypersensitivity via a neuronal-glial-neuronal signaling cascade (2011)
  • Author(s): Gu M, Miyoshi K, Dubner R, Guo W, Zou S, Ren K, Noguchi K, Wei F.
  • Journal Title: J. Neurosci. Volume: 31 Pages: 12823-12836
  • DOI: DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1564-11.2011
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Sleep disturbances in a neuropathic pain-like condition in the mouse are associated with altered GABAergic transmission in the cingulate cortex (2011)
  • Author(s): Narita M, Niikura K, Nanjo-Niikura K, Narita M, Furuya M, Yamashita A, Saeki M, Matsushima Y, Imai S, Shimizu T, Asato M, Kuzumaki N, Okutsu D, Miyoshi K, Suzuki M, Tsukiyama Y, Konno M, Yomiya K, Matoba M, Suzuki T.
  • Journal Title: Pain Volume: 152 Pages: 1358-1372
  • DOI: DOI:10.1016/j.pain.2011.02.016
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Instability of the pelvic ring and iujury severity can be predictors of death in patients with pelvic ring fracture : a retrospective study (2009)
  • Author(s): Tachibana, T, Yokoi H, Kirita M, Marukawa S, Yoshiya S.
  • Journal Title: J Orthop Traumatol Volume: 10 Pages: 79-82
  • URL: http://www.springerlink.com/content/u22x253j75r31330/?MUD=MP
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] Critical role for spinal IL-18/caspase-1 interaction in neuropathic pain development through its distinct regulation of interleukins (2010)
  • Author(s): Miyoshi K, Noguchi K.
  • Organizer: World Congress on PAIN
  • Place of Presentation: Montreal, Canada
  • Year and Date: 2010-08-30
• [Presentation] Box-designed interbody fusion cage with autologous cancellous bone graft versus autologous tricortical iliac crest bone graft without plate fixation in the cervical spine : a retrospective study (2010)
  • Author(s): Tachibana T, Moriyama T, Okada F, Maruo K, Inoue S, Horinouchi Y, Yoshiya S.
  • Organizer: 26th Annual Meeting of the European Section of the Cerveical Spine Research Society Corfu Island
  • Year and Date: 2010-05-26