Nature Neuroscience
4, 417 - 423 (2001)
doi:10.1038/86075
Peripheral group I metabotropic glutamate receptors modulate nociception in miceG. Bhave1, 3, F. Karim1, 3, S. M. Carlton2
& R. W. Gereau IV11
Division of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Room S636, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
2
Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Marine Biomedical Institute, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, Texas 77555, USA
3
The first two authors contributed equally to this work
Correspondence should be addressed to R. W. Gereau IV rgereau@bcm.tmc.eduThe metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are found throughout the central nervous system, where they modulate neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission. Here we report the presence of phospholipase C-coupled group I mGluRs (mGluR1 and mGluR5) outside the central nervous system on peripheral unmyelinated sensory afferents. Given their localization on predominantly nociceptive afferents, we investigated whether these receptors modulate nociceptive signaling, and found that agonist-induced activation of peripheral group I mGluRs leads to increased sensitivity to noxious heat, a phenomenon termed thermal hyperalgesia. Furthermore, group I mGluR antagonists not only prevent, but also attenuate established formalin-induced pain. Taken together, these results suggest that peripheral mGluRs mediate a component of hyperalgesia and may be therapeutically targeted to prevent and treat inflammatory pain.
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