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Updated: May 23, 2025

Cheek Injection Model for Simultaneous Measurement of Pain and Itch-related Behaviors
Published on: September 27, 2019
Neuroimmune interactions between itch neurons and skin microbes
Sharan Kumar Balaji1, Waris Muhammad Khuwaja1, Md Liakat Hossain1
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA.
None:
Itch is an unpleasant sensation that is encoded by specific sensory neurons called pruriceptors. Itch is associated with almost all skin diseases. Recent studies revealed that many itchy skin diseases are associated with microbiome dysbiosis. Pathogenic microbes secrete proteases and toxins to invade skin cells. Some microbial products can directly activate sensory neurons, while others activate the mammalian immune system and indirectly cause itch. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on microbe-immune-neuron crosstalks and discuss their relevance in itchy skin diseases.
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