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Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) regulates bladder nociception
Lara W Crock1, Kristina M Stemler, David G Song
1Neuroscience Program, Washington University School of Medicine, St, Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Molecular Pain
|March 28, 2012
Summary
Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) plays a key role in both non-inflammatory and inflammatory bladder pain. Targeting mGluR5 with antagonists may offer a new treatment for bladder pain conditions like interstitial cystitis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pain Research
- Urology
Background:
- Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) is a chronic, debilitating condition often resistant to standard pain treatments.
- Nervous system sensitization, particularly involving glutamatergic signaling, is implicated in IC/PBS.
- Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are involved in various chronic pain states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of mGluR5 in mediating bladder pain (nociception) in a mouse model.
- To determine if mGluR5 is involved in both non-inflammatory and inflammatory bladder pain.
Main Methods:
- Utilized genetic and pharmacological approaches in mice.
- Monitored the visceromotor response (VMR) to graded bladder distention.
- Induced inflammatory bladder pain using a uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strain.
Main Results:
- mGluR5 is essential for the full VMR to bladder distention in non-inflammatory states.
- UPEC infection caused inflammatory hyperalgesia to bladder distention.
- The mGluR5 antagonist fenobam reduced VMR in UPEC-infected mice.
Conclusions:
- mGluR5 modulates both inflammatory and non-inflammatory bladder nociception.
- mGluR5 antagonists show therapeutic potential for alleviating bladder pain.
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