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Featured ArticleBrief Communications

Mechanisms of Itch Evoked by β-Alanine

Qin Liu, Parul Sikand, Chao Ma, Zongxiang Tang, Liang Han, Zhe Li, Shuohao Sun, Robert H. LaMotte and Xinzhong Dong
Journal of Neuroscience 17 October 2012, 32 (42) 14532-14537; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3509-12.2012
Qin Liu
1The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Center for Sensory Biology, and
2Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, and
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Parul Sikand
3Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
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Chao Ma
3Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
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Zongxiang Tang
1The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Center for Sensory Biology, and
2Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, and
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Liang Han
1The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Center for Sensory Biology, and
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Zhe Li
1The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Center for Sensory Biology, and
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Shuohao Sun
1The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Center for Sensory Biology, and
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Robert H. LaMotte
3Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
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Xinzhong Dong
1The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Center for Sensory Biology, and
2Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, and
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Abstract

β-alanine, a popular supplement for muscle building, induces itch and tingling after consumption, but the underlying molecular and neural mechanisms are obscure. Here we show that, in mice, β-alanine elicited itch-associated behavior that requires MrgprD, a G-protein-coupled receptor expressed by a subpopulation of primary sensory neurons. These neurons exclusively innervate the skin, respond to β-alanine, heat, and mechanical noxious stimuli but do not respond to histamine. In humans, intradermally injected β-alanine induced itch but neither wheal nor flare, suggesting that the itch was not mediated by histamine. Thus, the primary sensory neurons responsive to β-alanine are likely part of a histamine-independent itch neural circuit and a target for treating clinical itch that is unrelieved by anti-histamines.

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The Journal of Neuroscience: 32 (42)
Journal of Neuroscience
Vol. 32, Issue 42
17 Oct 2012
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Mechanisms of Itch Evoked by β-Alanine
Qin Liu, Parul Sikand, Chao Ma, Zongxiang Tang, Liang Han, Zhe Li, Shuohao Sun, Robert H. LaMotte, Xinzhong Dong
Journal of Neuroscience 17 October 2012, 32 (42) 14532-14537; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3509-12.2012

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Mechanisms of Itch Evoked by β-Alanine
Qin Liu, Parul Sikand, Chao Ma, Zongxiang Tang, Liang Han, Zhe Li, Shuohao Sun, Robert H. LaMotte, Xinzhong Dong
Journal of Neuroscience 17 October 2012, 32 (42) 14532-14537; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3509-12.2012
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