Our recent studies demonstrated that regional bone loss in the unloaded hind limbs of tail-suspended mice triggered pain-like behaviors due to the acidic environment in the bone induced by osteoclast activation. The aims of the present study were to examine whether TRPV1, ASIC and P2X (known as nociceptors) are expressed in bone, and whether the antagonists to those receptors affect the expression of osteoblast and osteoclast regulators, and prevent the triggering of not only pain-like behaviors but also high bone turnover conditions in tail-suspension model mice. The hind limb-unloaded mice were subjected to tail suspension with the hind limbs elevated for 14days. The effects of the TRPV1, ASIC3, P2X2/3 antagonists on pain-like behaviors as assessed by the von Frey test, paw flick test and spontaneous pain scale; the expressions of TRPV1, ASICs, and P2X2 in the bone; and the effects of those antagonists on osteoblast and osteoclast regulators were examined. In addition, we evaluated the preventive effect of continuous treatment with a TRPV1 antagonist on the trigger for pain-like behavior and bone loss in tail-suspended mice. Pain-like behaviors were significantly improved by the treatment with TRPV1, ASIC, P2X antagonists; TRPV1, ASICs and P2X were expressed in the bone tissues; and the antagonists to these receptors down-regulated the expression of osteoblast and osteoclast regulators in tail-suspended mice. In addition, continuous treatment with a TRPV1 antagonist during tail-suspension prevented the induction of pain-like behaviors and regional bone loss in the unloaded hind limbs. We, therefore, believe that those receptor antagonists have a potential role in preventing the triggering of skeletal pain with associated regional bone metabolic disorder.
Keywords: ASIC; P2X2/3; Pain-like behavior; Prevention; Regional bone loss; TRPV1.
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