Trigeminal satellite cells modulate neuronal responses to triptans: relevance for migraine therapy

Neuron Glia Biol. 2011 May;7(2-4):109-16. doi: 10.1017/S1740925X11000172. Epub 2012 Feb 10.

Abstract

In the present paper, we have further developed an in vitro model to study neuronal-glial interaction at trigeminal level by characterizing the effects of conditioned medium (CM) collected from activated primary cultures of satellite glial cells (SGCs) on calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) release from rat trigeminal neurons. Moreover, we investigated whether such release is inhibited by a clinically relevant anti-migraine drug, sumatriptan. CM effects were tested on trigeminal neuronal cultures in different conditions of activation and at different time points. Long-term exposures of trigeminal neurons to CM increased directly neuronal CGRP release, which was further enhanced by the exposure to capsaicin. In this framework, the anti-migraine drug sumatriptan was able to inhibit the evoked CGRP release from naïve trigeminal neuron cultures, as well as from trigeminal cultures pre-exposed for 30 min to CM. On the contrary, sumatriptan failed to inhibit evoked CGRP release from trigeminal neurons after prolonged (4 and 8 h) pre-exposures to CM. These findings were confirmed in co-culture experiments (neurons and SGCs), where activation of SGCs or a bradykinin priming were used. Our data demonstrate that SGCs activation could influence neuronal excitability, and that this event affects the neuronal responses to triptans.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / metabolism
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Coculture Techniques
  • Culture Media, Conditioned / pharmacology
  • Migraine Disorders / drug therapy*
  • Migraine Disorders / metabolism
  • Neuroglia / drug effects
  • Neuroglia / physiology*
  • Neurons / drug effects
  • Neurons / physiology*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Satellite Cells, Perineuronal / drug effects
  • Satellite Cells, Perineuronal / physiology*
  • Trigeminal Ganglion / drug effects
  • Trigeminal Ganglion / physiology*
  • Tryptamines / pharmacology*
  • Tryptamines / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Culture Media, Conditioned
  • Tryptamines
  • Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide