Diabetic peripheral neuropathy affects up to half of diabetic patients. This neuronal damage leads to sensory disturbances, including allodynia and hyperalgesia. Many growth factors have been suggested as useful treatments for prevention of neurodegeneration, including the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family. VEGF-A is generated as two alternative splice variant families. The most widely studied isoform, VEGF-A165a is both pro-angiogenic and neuroprotective, but pro-nociceptive and increases vascular permeability in animal models. Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats develop both hyperglycaemia and many of the resulting diabetic complications seen in patients, including peripheral neuropathy. In the present study, we show that the anti-angiogenic VEGF-A splice variant, VEGF-A165b, is also a potential therapeutic for diabetic neuropathy. Seven weeks of VEGF-A165b treatment in diabetic rats reversed enhanced pain behaviour in multiple behavioural paradigms and was neuroprotective, reducing hyperglycaemia-induced activated caspase 3 (AC3) levels in sensory neuronal subsets, epidermal sensory nerve fibre loss and aberrant sciatic nerve morphology. Furthermore, VEGF-A165b inhibited a STZ-induced increase in Evans Blue extravasation in dorsal root ganglia (DRG), saphenous nerve and plantar skin of the hind paw. Increased transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) channel activity is associated with the onset of diabetic neuropathy. VEGF-A165b also prevented hyperglycaemia-enhanced TRPA1 activity in an in vitro sensory neuronal cell line indicating a novel direct neuronal mechanism that could underlie the anti-nociceptive effect observed in vivo. These results demonstrate that in a model of Type I diabetes VEGF-A165b attenuates altered pain behaviour and prevents neuronal stress, possibly through an effect on TRPA1 activity.
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Research Article|
July 22 2015
Vascular endothelial growth factor-A165b prevents diabetic neuropathic pain and sensory neuronal degeneration
Richard P. Hulse;
Richard P. Hulse
*School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, U.K.
†Cancer Biology, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, U.K.
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Nicholas Beazley-Long;
Nicholas Beazley-Long
*School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, U.K.
‡Arthritis Research UK Pain Centre and School of Life Sciences, The Medical School QMC, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, U.K.
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Nikita Ved;
Nikita Ved
‡Arthritis Research UK Pain Centre and School of Life Sciences, The Medical School QMC, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, U.K.
§Institute of Ophthalmology, 11-43 Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, U.K.
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Samuel M. Bestall;
Samuel M. Bestall
†Cancer Biology, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, U.K.
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Hamza Riaz;
Hamza Riaz
*School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, U.K.
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Priya Singhal;
Priya Singhal
*School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, U.K.
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Kurt Ballmer Hofer;
Kurt Ballmer Hofer
║Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, AG, Switzerland
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Steve J. Harper;
Steve J. Harper
*School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, U.K.
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David O. Bates;
David O. Bates
*School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, U.K.
†Cancer Biology, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, U.K.
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Lucy F. Donaldson
*School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, U.K.
‡Arthritis Research UK Pain Centre and School of Life Sciences, The Medical School QMC, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, U.K.
Correspondence: Dr Lucy Donaldson (email [email protected]).
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
April 20 2015
Revision Received:
June 11 2015
Accepted:
June 16 2015
Online ISSN: 1470-8736
Print ISSN: 0143-5221
© 2015 Authors; published by Portland Press Limited
2015
Clin Sci (Lond) (2015) 129 (8): 741–756.
Article history
Received:
April 20 2015
Revision Received:
June 11 2015
Accepted:
June 16 2015
Citation
Richard P. Hulse, Nicholas Beazley-Long, Nikita Ved, Samuel M. Bestall, Hamza Riaz, Priya Singhal, Kurt Ballmer Hofer, Steve J. Harper, David O. Bates, Lucy F. Donaldson; Vascular endothelial growth factor-A165b prevents diabetic neuropathic pain and sensory neuronal degeneration. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 October 2015; 129 (8): 741–756. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/CS20150124
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