Establish of a pain monitoring system using live-cell imaging

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K20650
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0702:Biology at cellular to organismal levels, and related fields
• Research Institution: University of Yamanashi
• Principal Investigator: Hatano Yu 山梨大学, 大学院総合研究部, 研究助教 (60966307)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-08-31 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ライブセルイメージング / 疼痛 / 性差 / アンドロゲン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Female have long been said to be more sensitive to pain, but in recent years it has become clear that female are more sensitive to pain than male. Thus, despite the gender differences in pain, the detailed control mechanism of pain has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we aimed to construct a pain monitoring system using live cell imaging in spinal cord tissue. Microglia in spinal cord tissue were specifically visualized and live cell imaging was performed for several days using confocal microscopy. Using pain model mice, we were able to extract and quantify parameters related to cell dynamics. Furthermore, we succeeded in confirming the responsiveness of microglia and visualizing the response process. We expect that close examination of these extracted parameters will contribute to the understanding of pain in the future.

Free Research Field

細胞生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

痛みの研究は行動実験に依存しており、分子・細胞レベルでの疼痛制御機構を理解するためには新たな研究ツールの確立が必要とされている。しかし、行動実験に変わる評価系は、これまで例がないのが現状である。本研究で確立したライブセル痛みモニターシステムにより今後の疼痛理解に貢献できると期待される。