• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.129-136
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• 2016

This study was performed to investigate whether an intra-articular injection of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) receptor agonist, resiniferatoxin (RTX) would alleviate behavioral signs of arthritic pain in a rat model of osteoarthritis (OA). We also sought to determine the effect of RTX treatment on calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) expression in the spinal cord. Knee joint inflammation was induced by intra-articular injection of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA, $8mg/50{\mu}l$) and weight bearing percentage on right and left hindpaws during walking, paw withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimulation, and paw withdrawal latency to heat were measured to evaluate pain behavior. Intra-articular administration of RTX (0.03, 0.003 and 0.0003%) at 2 weeks after the induction of knee joint inflammation significantly improved reduction of weight bearing on the ipsilateral hindlimb and increased paw withdrawal sensitivity to mechanical and heat stimuli. The reduction of pain behavior persisted for 3~10 days according to each behavioral test. The MIA-induced increase in CGRP immunoreactivity in the spinal cord was decreased by RTX treatment in a dose-dependent manner. The present study demonstrated that a single intra-articular administration of RTX reduced pain behaviors for a relatively long time in an experimental model of OA and could normalize OA-associated changes in peptide expression in the spinal cord.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.233-241
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• 2016

DCs, like the sensory neurons, express vanilloid receptor 1 (VR1). Here we demonstrate that the VR1 agonists, capsaicin (CP) and resiniferatoxin (RTX), enhance antiviral CTL responses by increasing MHC class I-restricted viral antigen presentation in dendritic cells (DCs). Bone marrow-derived DCs (BM-DCs) were infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus (VV) expressing OVA (VV-OVA), and then treated with CP or RTX. Both CP and RTX increased MHC class I-restricted presentation of virus-encoded endogenous OVA in BM-DCs. Oral administration of CP or RTX significantly increased MHC class I-restricted OVA presentation by splenic and lymph node DCs in VV-OVA-infected mice, as assessed by directly measuring OVA peptide SIINFEKL-K^b complexes on the cell surface and by performing functional assays using OVA-specific CD8 T cells. Accordingly, oral administration of CP or RTX elicited potent OVA-specific CTL activity in VV-OVA-infected mice. The results from this study demonstrate that VR1 agonists enhance anti-viral CTL responses, as well as a neuro-immune connection in anti-viral immune responses.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.587-599
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• 2017

The immune response against Trichinella spiralis at the intestinal level depends on the $CD4^+$ T cells, which can both suppress or promote the inflammatory response through the synthesis of diverse cytokines. During the intestinal phase, the immune response is mixed (Th1/Th2) with the initial predominance of the Th1 response and the subsequent domination of Th2 response, which favor the development of intestinal pathology. In this context, the glucocorticoids (GC) are the pharmacotherapy for the intestinal inflammatory response in trichinellosis. However, its therapeutic use is limited, since studies have shown that treatment with GC suppresses the host immune system, favoring T. spiralis infection. In the search for novel pharmacological strategies that inhibit the Th1 immune response (proinflammatory) and assist the host against T. spiralis infection, recent studies showed that resiniferatoxin (RTX) had anti-inflammatory activity, which decreased the serum levels of IL-12, $INF-{\gamma}$, $IL-1{\beta}$, $TNF-{\alpha}$, NO, and $PGE_2$, as well the number of eosinophils in the blood, associated with decreased intestinal pathology and muscle parasite burden. These researches demonstrate that RTX is capable to inhibit the production of Th1 cytokines, contributing to the defense against T. spiralis infection, which places it as a new potential drug modulator of the immune response.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.405-412
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• 2005

A vanilloid receptor (VR1, now known as TRPV1) is an ion channel activated by vanilloids, including capsaicin (CAP) and resiniferatoxin (RTX), which are pungent ingredients of plants. Putative endogenous activators (anandamide and metabolites of arachidonic acid) are weak activators of VR1 compared to capsaicin and RTX, and the concentrations of the physiological condition of those activators are not sufficient to induce significant activation of VR1. One way to overcome the weak activation of endogenous activators would be the sensitization of VR1, with the phosphorylation of the channel being one possibility. The phosphorylation of VR1 by several kinases has been reported, mostly by indirect evidence. Here, using an in vivo phosphorylation method, the VR1 channel was shown to be sensitized by phosphorylation of the channel itself by multiple pathways involving PKA, PKC and acid. Also, in sensitizing VR1, BK appeared to show activation of PKC for the sensitization of VR1 by phosphorylation of the channel.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 2017

Here we investigated the central processing mechanisms of mechanical allodynia and found a direct excitatory link with low-threshold input to nociceptive neurons. Experiments were performed on male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 230-280 g. Subcutaneous injection of interleukin 1 beta ($IL-1{\beta}$) ($1ng/10{\mu}L$) was used to produce mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. Intracisternal administration of bicuculline, a gamma aminobutyric acid A ($GABA_A$) receptor antagonist, produced mechanical allodynia in the orofacial area under normal conditions. However, intracisternal administration of bicuculline (50 ng) produced a paradoxical anti-allodynic effect under inflammatory pain conditions. Pretreatment with resiniferatoxin (RTX), which depletes capsaicin receptor protein in primary afferent fibers, did not alter the paradoxical anti-allodynic effects produced by the intracisternal injection of bicuculline. Intracisternal injection of bumetanide, an Na-K-Cl cotransporter (NKCC 1) inhibitor, reversed the $IL-1{\beta}$-induced mechanical allodynia. In the control group, application of GABA ($100{\mu}M$) or muscimol ($3{\mu}M$) led to membrane hyperpolarization in gramicidin perforated current clamp mode. However, in some neurons, application of GABA or muscimol led to membrane depolarization in the $IL-1{\beta}$-treated rats. These results suggest that some large myelinated $A{\beta}$ fibers gain access to the nociceptive system and elicit pain sensation via $GABA_A$ receptors under inflammatory pain conditions.