Neuropeptides and Microglial Activation in Inflammation, Pain, and Neurodegenerative Diseases

LILA CARNIGLIA; DELIA RAMIREZ; DANIELA DURAND; JULIETA SABA; JUAN TURATI; CARLA CARUSO; TERESA SCIMONELLI; MERCEDES LASAGA

MEDIATORS OF INFLAMMATION

HINDAWI PUBLISHING CORPORATION

Lugar: New York; Año: 2017 vol. 2017

0962-9351

Microglial cells are responsible for immune surveillance within the CNS.They respond to noxious stimuli by releasing inflammatorymediators and mounting an effective inflammatory response. This is followed by release of anti-inflammatory mediators andresolution of the inflammatory response. Alterations to this delicate process may lead to tissue damage, neuroinflammation, andneurodegeneration. Chronic pain, such as inflammatory or neuropathic pain, is accompanied by neuroimmune activation, and therole of glial cells in the initiation and maintenance of chronic pain has been the subject of increasing research over the last twodecades. Neuropeptides are small amino acidic molecules with the ability to regulate neuronal activity and thereby affect variousfunctions such as thermoregulation, reproductive behavior, food and water intake, and circadian rhythms. Neuropeptides can alsoaffect inflammatory responses and pain sensitivity by modulating the activity of glial cells. The last decade has witnessed growinginterest in the study of microglial activation and its modulation by neuropeptides in the hope of developing new therapeutics fortreating neurodegenerative diseases and chronic pain. This review summarizes the current literature on the way in which severalneuropeptides modulate microglial activity and response to tissue damage and how this modulation may affect pain sensitivity