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Papers of the Week


Papers: 4 Apr 2020 - 10 Apr 2020


Animal Studies


2020 Mar 31


Brain Behav Immun

S100A9 plays a pivotal role in a mouse model of herpetic neuralgia via TLR4/TNF pathway.

Authors

Silva CR, Melo BMS, Silva JR, Lopes AH, Pereira JA, Cecilio NT, Berlink J, Souza GG, Lucas G, Vogl T, Cunha FQ, Alves-Filho JC, Cunha TM
Brain Behav Immun. 2020 Mar 31.
PMID: 32243898.

Abstract

Herpetic neuralgia is a painful condition following herpes zoster disease, which results from Varicella-zoster virus reactivation in the dorsal or trigeminal sensory ganglia. Nevertheless, the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in herpetic neuralgia are not well understood. Recently, we identified, that neuroimmune-glia interactions in the sensory ganglion is a critical mechanism for the development of herpetic neuralgia. Here, we investigate the contribution of S100A9, a well-known pro-inflammatory molecule produced by myeloid cells, for the development of herpetic neuralgia using a murine model of HSV-1 infection. We found that cutaneous HSV-1 infection results in an increase of S100A9 expression in the Dorsal Root Ganglia (DRGs). Infiltrating neutrophils into the DRGs were the main source of S100A9 post HSV-1 infection. Functionally, genetic or pharmacological inhibition of S100A9 impairs the development of HSV-1 infection-induced mechanical pain hypersensitivity. Finally, we found that the pronociceptive role of S100A9 in herpetic neuralgia depends on the TLR4/TNF pathway. These results unraveled previously unknown mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of herpetic neuralgia and indicate that S100A9 might be an important target for novel therapies aiming acute herpetic neuralgia.