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Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Patch Clamp Recordings on Intact Dorsal Root Ganglia from Adult Rats
Published on: September 29, 2016
Glutamine uptake contributes to central sensitization in the medullary dorsal horn
Chen Yu Chiang1, Zhaohui Li, Jonathan O Dostrovsky
1Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Oral Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
Mustard oil application to tooth pulp produces central sensitization in rat medullary dorsal horn (MDH) nociceptive neurons, which has been implicated in persistent pain mechanisms. We found that superfusion onto MDH of methylaminoisobutyric acid, a competitive inhibitor of the neuronal system A transporter for presynaptic uptake of glutamine (a glutamate precursor released from astroglia), significantly depressed development of mustard oil-induced central sensitization in rat MDH nociceptive neurons. This finding indicates that the system A transporter is required for the expression of central sensitization and confirms the important roles of astroglia, glutamine and presynaptic modulation of glutamate release in the development of central sensitization.
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