Pharmacological inhibition of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway suppresses microglial M1-polarization in the spinal cord and attenuates neuropathic pain
Neuroinflammation plays a vital role in the development of neuropathic pain and is mediated mainly by microglia. Suppressing microglial M1-polarization attenuates neuropathic pain. Recently, the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway has emerged as a key mediator of inflammation and shows potential in modulating microglial polarization. In this study, we evaluated whether cGAS-STING is a potential therapeutic target. Spared nerve injury (SNI) surgery was conducted in adult male rats to establish a neuropathic pain model. We showed that SNI promoted microglial M1-polarization and induced cGAS-STING pathway activation in the spinal cord. Double-label immunofluorescence assays showed that cGAS-STING activation mainly occurred in neurons and microglia but not astrocytes. We further conducted in vitro experiments using BV-2 microglial cells. The results showed that LPS-induced microglial M1-polarization was accompanied by cGAS-STING pathway activation, but cGAS-STING inhibition by antagonists suppressed LPS-induced microglial M1-polarization. In vivo, we also showed that a cGAS antagonist and a STING antagonist suppressed the microglial M1-polarization and ameliorated the mechanical allodynia induced by SNI. These findings suggested that the cGAS-STING pathway might be a potential therapeutic target for treating neuropathic pain. However, further research is warranted to verify our findings in female rodents.
基金:
National Natural Sci- ence Foundation of China [81801113, 82071627, 82171228]; Health Commission of Hubei Province Scientific Research Project [WJ2021M084]; Huanggang Science and Technology Plan Project [XQYF2019000014]
第一作者单位:[1]Huazhong Univ Sci & Technol, Tongji Hosp, Tongji Med Coll, Dept Anesthesiol, Wuhan, Peoples R China
通讯作者:
通讯机构:[1]Huazhong Univ Sci & Technol, Tongji Hosp, Tongji Med Coll, Dept Anesthesiol, Wuhan, Peoples R China[4]Tongji Hosp, Dept Anesthesiol, Jiefang Avnue 1095, Wuhan 430030, Hubei, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式(GB/T 7714):
Wu Wenyao,Zhang Xianwei,Wang Shuo,et al.Pharmacological inhibition of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway suppresses microglial M1-polarization in the spinal cord and attenuates neuropathic pain[J].NEUROPHARMACOLOGY.2022,217:doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109206.
APA:
Wu, Wenyao,Zhang, Xianwei,Wang, Shuo,Li, Tian,Hao, Quanshui...&Sun, Rao.(2022).Pharmacological inhibition of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway suppresses microglial M1-polarization in the spinal cord and attenuates neuropathic pain.NEUROPHARMACOLOGY,217,
MLA:
Wu, Wenyao,et al."Pharmacological inhibition of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway suppresses microglial M1-polarization in the spinal cord and attenuates neuropathic pain".NEUROPHARMACOLOGY 217.(2022)