Chemical Response Pattern of Different Classes of C-Nociceptors to Pruritogens and Algogens

2003/05/01 by Martin Schmelz, M. Schmelz, R. Schmidt +6 · 28 citations
Medicine · #Dermatology and Skin Diseases #Pain Mechanisms and Treatments #Urticaria and Related Conditions

paper · doi:10.1152/jn.01139.2002

Abstract

Vasoneuroactive substances were applied through intradermal microdialysis membranes and characterized as itch- or pain-inducing in psychophysical experiments. Histamine always provoked itching and rarely pain, capsaicin always pain but never itching. Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) led preferentially to moderate itching. Serotonin, acetylcholine, and bradykinin induced pain more often than itching. Subsequently the same substances were used in microneurography experiments to characterize the sensitivity profile of human cutaneous C-nociceptors. The responses of 89 mechanoresponsive (CMH, polymodal nociceptors), 52 mechanoinsensitive, histamine-negative (CMi(His-)), and 24 mechanoinsensitive, histamine-positive (CMi(His+)) units were compared. CMi(His+) units were most responsive to histamine and to PGE(2) and less to serotonin, ACh, bradykinin, and capsaicin. CMH units (polymodal nociceptors) and CMi(His-) units showed significantly weaker responses to histamine, PGE(2), and acetylcholine. Capsaicin and bradykinin responses were not significantly different in the two classes of mechano-insensitive units. We conclude that CMi(His+) units are "selective," but not "specific" for pruritogenic substances and that the pruritic potency of a mediator increases with its ability to activate CMi(His+) units but decreases with activation of CMH and CMi(His-) units.

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• The TGR5 receptor mediates bile acid-induced itch and analgesia. [europepmc]
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• Neural processing of itch. [europepmc]
• Sensory neurons and circuits mediating itch. [europepmc]
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• Human sensory neurons: Membrane properties and sensitization by inflammatory mediators. [europepmc]
• Leaky Gate Model: Intensity-Dependent Coding of Pain and Itch in the Spinal Cord. [europepmc]
• Defining the Functional Role of Na V 1.7 in Human Nociception. [europepmc]
• Studying human nociceptors: from fundamentals to clinic. [europepmc]
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