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Low catechol-O-methyltransferase and stress potentiate functional pain and depressive behavior, especially in female mice.

ABSTRACT: Low levels of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), an enzyme that metabolizes catecholamines, and stress, which potentiates catecholamine release from sympathetic nerves, are fundamental to chronic functional pain syndromes and comorbid depression, which predominantly affect females. Here, we sought to examine the independent and joint contributions of low COMT and stress to chronic functional pain and depression at the behavioral and molecular level. Male and female C57BL/6 mice received sustained systemic delivery of the COMT inhibitor OR486 over 14 days and underwent a swim stress paradigm on days 8 to 10. Pain and depressive-like behavior were measured over 14 days, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF; a factor involved in nociception and depression) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR; a stress-related receptor) expression were measured on day 14. We found that stress potentiates the effect of low COMT on functional pain and low COMT potentiates the effect of stress on depressive-like behavior. The joint effects of low COMT and stress on functional pain and depressive-like behavior were significantly greater in females vs males. Consistent with behavioral data, we found that stress potentiates COMT-dependent increases in spinal BDNF and low COMT potentiates stress-dependent decreases in hippocampal BDNF in females, but not males. Although low COMT increases spinal GR and stress increases hippocampal GR expression, these increases are not potentiated in the OR486 + stress group and are not sex-specific. These results suggest that genetic and environmental factors that enhance catecholamine bioavailability cause abnormalities in BDNF signaling and increase risk of comorbid functional pain and depression, especially among females.

SUBMITTER: Zhang X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7282074 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Low catechol-O-methyltransferase and stress potentiate functional pain and depressive behavior, especially in female mice.

Zhang Xin X Kanter Katie K Chen Jiegen J Kim Seungtae S Wang Yaomin Y Adeyemi Clementine C O'Buckley Sandra C SC Nackley Andrea G AG

Pain 20200201 2

Low levels of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), an enzyme that metabolizes catecholamines, and stress, which potentiates catecholamine release from sympathetic nerves, are fundamental to chronic functional pain syndromes and comorbid depression, which predominantly affect females. Here, we sought to examine the independent and joint contributions of low COMT and stress to chronic functional pain and depression at the behavioral and molecular level. Male and female C57BL/6 mice received sustai ...[more]

PMID: 31972854

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Project description:BACKGROUND: Treatment outcome of low back pain (LBP) is associated with inter-individual variations in pain relief and functional disability. Genetic variants of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene have previously been shown to be associated with pain sensitivity and pain medication. This study examines the association between COMT polymorphisms and 7-11 year change in Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Visual Analog Score (VAS) for LBP as clinical outcome variables in patients treated with surgical instrumented lumbar fusion or cognitive intervention and exercise. METHODS: 93 unrelated patients with chronic LBP for duration of >1 year and lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) were treated with lumbar fusion (N = 60) or cognitive therapy and exercises (N = 33). Standardised questionnaires assessing the ODI, VAS LBP, psychological factors and use of analgesics, were answered by patients both at baseline and at 7-11 years follow-up. Four SNPs in the COMT gene were successfully genotyped. Single marker as well as haplotype association with change in ODI and VAS LBP, were analyzed using Haploview, linear regression and R-package Haplostats. P-values were not formally corrected for multiple testing as this was an explorative study. RESULTS: Association analysis of individual SNPs adjusted for covariates revealed association of rs4633 and rs4680 with post treatment improvement in VAS LBP (p = 0.02, mean difference (?) = 13.5 and p = 0.02, ? = 14.2 respectively). SNPs, rs4633 and rs4680 were found to be genotypically similar and in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD). A significant association was found with covariates, analgesics (p = 0.001, ? = 18.6); anxiety and depression (p = 0.008, ? = 15.4) and age (p = 0.03, mean difference per year (?) = 0.7) at follow-up. There was a tendency for better improvement among heterozygous patients compared to the homozygous. No association was observed for the analysis of the common haplotypes, these SNPs were situated on. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest an influence of genetic variants of COMT gene in describing the variation in pain after treatment for low back pain. Replication in large samples with testing for other pain related genes is warranted.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Patients with chronic pain disorders exhibit increased levels of catecholamines alongside diminished activity of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), an enzyme that metabolizes catecholamines. The authors found that acute pharmacologic inhibition of COMT in rodents produces hypersensitivity to mechanical and thermal stimuli via ?-adrenergic receptor (?AR) activation. The contribution of distinct ?AR populations to the development of persistent pain linked to abnormalities in catecholamine signaling requires further investigation. METHODS:Here, the authors sought to determine the contribution of peripheral, spinal, and supraspinal ?ARs to persistent COMT-dependent pain. They implanted osmotic pumps to deliver the COMT inhibitor OR486 (Tocris, USA) for 2 weeks. Behavioral responses to mechanical and thermal stimuli were evaluated before and every other day after pump implantation. The site of action was evaluated in adrenalectomized rats receiving sustained OR486 or in intact rats receiving sustained ?AR antagonists peripherally, spinally, or supraspinally alongside OR486. RESULTS:The authors found that male (N = 6) and female (N = 6) rats receiving sustained OR486 exhibited decreased paw withdrawal thresholds (control 5.74 ± 0.24 vs. OR486 1.54 ± 0.08, mean ± SEM) and increased paw withdrawal frequency to mechanical stimuli (control 4.80 ± 0.22 vs. OR486 8.10 ± 0.13) and decreased paw withdrawal latency to thermal heat (control 9.69 ± 0.23 vs. OR486 5.91 ± 0.11). In contrast, adrenalectomized rats (N = 12) failed to develop OR486-induced hypersensitivity. Furthermore, peripheral (N = 9), but not spinal (N = 4) or supraspinal (N = 4), administration of the nonselective ?AR antagonist propranolol, the ?2AR antagonist ICI-118,511, or the ?3AR antagonist SR59230A blocked the development of OR486-induced hypersensitivity. CONCLUSIONS:Peripheral adrenergic input is necessary for the development of persistent COMT-dependent pain, and peripherally-acting ?AR antagonists may benefit chronic pain patients.

Dataset Information

Low catechol-O-methyltransferase and stress potentiate functional pain and depressive behavior, especially in female mice.

Publications

Low catechol-O-methyltransferase and stress potentiate functional pain and depressive behavior, especially in female mice.

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