RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Mechanisms of Itch Evoked by β-Alanine
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 14532
OP 14537
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3509-12.2012
VO 32
IS 42
A1 Liu, Qin
A1 Sikand, Parul
A1 Ma, Chao
A1 Tang, Zongxiang
A1 Han, Liang
A1 Li, Zhe
A1 Sun, Shuohao
A1 LaMotte, Robert H.
A1 Dong, Xinzhong
YR 2012
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/32/42/14532.abstract
AB 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.