RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Physiological Basis of Tingling Paresthesia Evokedby Hydroxy-α-Sanshool
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 4353
OP 4361
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4666-09.2010
VO 30
IS 12
A1 Richard C. Lennertz
A1 Makoto Tsunozaki
A1 Diana M. Bautista
A1 Cheryl L. Stucky
YR 2010
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/30/12/4353.abstract
AB Hydroxy-α-sanshool, the active ingredient in plants of the prickly ash plant family, induces robust tingling paresthesia by activating a subset of somatosensory neurons. However, the subtypes and physiological function of sanshool-sensitive neurons remain unknown. Here we use the ex vivo skin–nerve preparation to examine the pattern and intensity with which the sensory terminals of cutaneous neurons respond to hydroxy-α-sanshool. We found that sanshool excites virtually all D-hair afferents, a distinct subset of ultrasensitive light-touch receptors in the skin and targets novel populations of Aβ and C fiber nerve afferents. Thus, sanshool provides a novel pharmacological tool for discriminating functional subtypes of cutaneous mechanoreceptors. The identification of sanshool-sensitive fibers represents an essential first step in identifying the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying tingling paresthesia that accompanies peripheral neuropathy and injury.