What can we learn from mixed neuroglial primary cultures about the impact of inflammation on the afferent somatosensory
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COMMENTARY
What can we learn from mixed neuroglial primary cultures about the impact of inflammation on the afferent somatosensory system? Hans Albert Braun 1 Received: 9 October 2020 / Revised: 9 October 2020 / Accepted: 14 October 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
“Primary culture of the rat spinal dorsal horn: a tool to investigate the effects of inflammatory stimulation on the afferent somatosensory system” by Stephan Leisengang et al. Inflammation strongly impacts the peripheral nociceptive as well as thermoafferent systems. The most pronounced effects of a given inflammatory stimulus on both systems are the induction of fever and the manifestation of inflammatory pain, which is an increased sensitivity of the nociceptive system due to the inflammatory response. Traditionally, the distinct functional components of the afferent somatosensory system have been investigated in vivo in conscious or anesthetized experimental animals. Most frequently, an inflammatory stimulation of the thermoregulatory system to evoke fever was achieved by administration of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and continuous recording of body core temperature [5]. Inflammation-associated pain states can be studied by injections of carrageenan into one of the hind paws or ligatures of the sciatic nerve and subsequent assessment of mechanical or heat sensitivities of the stimulated paw [1]. Electrophysiological approaches were also used under in vivo conditions to characterize the properties of peripheral thermosensors [6] or nociceptors [9]. These neurons, which express transient receptor potential (TRP) channels to detect thermal or nociceptive signals, convey their information to neurons located in the superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord. The sensory processing, especially of the nociceptive This article is a commentary to the original article https://doi.org/10.1007/ s00424-020-02478-y (this issue) * Hans Albert Braun [email protected] 1
Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Philipps University of Marburg, Deutschhausstrasse 2, 35037 Marburg, Germany
system, within the superficial layers of the spinal dorsal horn is complex and involves not only the neurons directly projecting into the brain but also a variety of inhibitory and excitatory interneurons. Electrophysiological investigations of spinal cord tissue slices combined with morphological and neurochemical characterizations seem to provide the most appropriate tools to gain insight into the functional properties of the neuronal circuits within the superficial spinal dorsal horn [7, 8]. In this issue of Pflügers Archiv – European Journal of Physiology, Leisengang et al. [3] introduce and characterize a mixed neuroglial primary culture of the rat superficial dorsal horn. The neurons of this culture show properties which are compatible with those elaborated by use of other experimental approaches. Most of the cultured neurons respond to glutamate, which is released within the superficial dorsal horn as the principle transmitter by the primary afferents of peripher
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