Thymosin Alpha-1 Inhibits Complete Freund's Adjuvant-Induced Pain and Production of Microglia-Mediated Pro-inflammatory Cytokines in Spinal Cord

• 来源期刊: 神经科学通报（英文版）
• 年，卷（期）: 2019,（4）
• 页码范围: 637-648
• 页数: 12页
• 语种: 英文

摘要

Activation of inflammatory responses regulates the transmission of pain pathways through an integrated network in the peripheral and central nervous systems.The immunopotentiator thymosin alpha-1 (Tα1) has recently been reported to have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective functions in rodents.However,how Tα1 affects inflammatory pain remains unclear.In the present study,intraperitoneal injection of Tα1 attenuated complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced pain hypersensitivity,and decreased the up-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α,IL-1β,and IL-6) in inflamed skin and the spinal cord.We found that CFA-induced peripheral inflammation evoked strong microglial activation,but the effect was reversed by Tα1.Notably,Tα1 reversed the CFA-induced up-regulation of vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT) and down-regulated the vesicular γ-aminobutyric acid transporter (VGAT) in the spinal cord.Taken together,these results suggest that Tα1 plays a therapeutic role in inflammatory pain and in the modulation of microgliainduced pro-inflammatory cytokine production in addition to mediation of VGLUT and VGAT expression in the spinal cord.