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Interferon regulatory factor 8 expressed in microglia contributes to tactile allodynia induced by repeated cold

Takanori Akagi1, Yuta Matsumura, Masaya Yasui

  • 1Department of Molecular and System Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Japan.

Journal of Pharmacological Sciences
|October 3, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) is crucial for developing tactile allodynia, a type of chronic pain, following repeated cold stress. IRF8 upregulation in spinal microglia drives this pain response.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Immunology
  • Pain Research

Background:

  • Chronic pain conditions like tactile allodynia can develop following stress.
  • The role of specific immune factors in the spinal cord during pain development is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) in the development of tactile allodynia induced by repeated cold stress (RCS).

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a mouse model of chronic pain induced by RCS.
  • Assessed mechanical pain sensitivity via paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) measurements.
  • Analyzed spinal cord microglia activation and IRF8 expression levels.
  • Compared RCS-induced allodynia in wild-type and IRF8-knockout mice.

Main Results:

  • RCS exposure significantly decreased PWT, indicating tactile allodynia.
  • Spinal microglia in RCS-exposed mice showed morphological signs of activation.
  • IRF8 expression was significantly upregulated in the spinal cord, specifically within microglia.
  • IRF8-knockout mice did not develop RCS-induced tactile allodynia.

Conclusions:

  • Repeated cold stress activates spinal microglia.
  • Upregulation of IRF8 in spinal microglia is a key mechanism in the development of tactile allodynia following RCS exposure.

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