Combined metabolomics and transcriptomics analysis of rats under neuropathic pain and pain-related depression

Caiyun Xi; Liqiong He; Zhifeng Huang; Jianxi Zhang; Kailu Zou; Qulian Guo; Changsheng Huang

doi:10.3389/fphar.2023.1320419

Combined metabolomics and transcriptomics analysis of rats under neuropathic pain and pain-related depression

Front Pharmacol. 2023 Dec 8:14:1320419. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1320419. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Caiyun Xi¹, Liqiong He¹, Zhifeng Huang¹, Jianxi Zhang¹, Kailu Zou¹, Qulian Guo^{1

2}, Changsheng Huang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anesthesiology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
² National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.

Abstract

Neuropathic pain often leads to negative emotions, which in turn can enhance the sensation of pain. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms mediating neuropathic pain and negative emotions. Chronic constriction injury (CCI) rats were used as model animals and behavioral tests were conducted to assess pain and negative emotions. Then, the rat anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was analyzed using UPLC-MS/MS and subsequently integrated with our previously published transcriptome data. Metabolomics analysis revealed that 68 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) were identified, mainly in amino acid metabolites and fatty acyls. Combined with our previously published transcriptome data, we predicted two genes that potentially exhibited associations with these metabolites, respectively Apolipoprotein L domain containing 1 (Apold1) and WAP four-disulfide core domain 1 (Wfdc1). Taken together, our results indicated that peripheral nerve injury contributing to neuropathic pain and pain-related depression may be associated with these metabolites and genes. This research provides new insights into the molecular regulatory mechanism, which could serve as a reference for the treatment of neuropathic pain and pain-related depression.

Keywords: anterior cingulate cortex; depression; metabolomics; neuropathic pain; transcriptomics.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (82071249 and 81771207) and the Research Project Funded by Hunan Medical Association (HMA202101001).