Neutrophils infiltrate sensory ganglia and mediate chronic widespread pain in fibromyalgia | PNAS
Conclusion: “We used a model of hyperalgesic priming to induce chronic widespread pain in mice that resulted in robust and persistent ipsilateral and contralateral behavioral hypersensitivity and sensitization of spinal cord neurons. Adoptive transfer of neutrophils from primed mice and from patients with fibromyalgia syndrome confers mechanical pain to recipient naïve mice, sensitizes evoked action potential firing of spinal cord neurons, and causes neutrophil infiltration into the dorsal root ganglia. These data demonstrate that neutrophils are fundamental for the development of chronic widespread pain through infiltration of peripheral sensory ganglia. Further studies characterizing the neutrophil phenotype in fibromyalgia syndrome may shed light on mediators of the cross talk between these polymorphonuclear granulocytes and sensory neurons. Our findings suggest that targeting neutrophils may be useful therapeutic targets for pain control in fibromyalgia.”