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Establishing a Mouse Model of a Pure Small Fiber Neuropathy with the Ultrapotent Agonist of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid Type 1
Published on: February 13, 2018
Expression of capsaicin receptor (VR1) by myelinated primary afferent neurons in rats
1Department of Pharmacology, Merck Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories, Neuroscience Research Centre, Terlings Park, Harlow, Essex CM20 2QR, UK. qingping_ma@merck.com
Abstract:
The expression of capsaicin (VR1) receptor by A-fiber primary afferent neurons has been investigated by double immunohistochemical staining with VR1 and 200 kD neurofilament (NF200; an A-fiber marker) antibodies, and by VR1 immunohistochemical staining in combination with cholera toxin B subunit (CTB; also an A-fiber marker) retrograde tracing. Approximately 30% of the VR1-positive dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons were NF200-positive. Intra-sciatic nerve injection of CTB labeled over 30% of the VR1-positive neurons in the L5 DRG. Size frequency distribution analysis revealed that these VR1 and NF200, or VR1 and CTB, double-labeled neurons were predominantly small and medium sized. These results suggest that capsaicin receptors are likely to be expressed by Adelta-fiber neurons as well as C-fiber neurons.
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