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NEUROPHARMACOLOGY

First in Vivo Evidence for a Functional Interaction between Chemokine and Cannabinoid Systems in the Brain

Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Growing evidence supports the idea that in addition to their well established role in the immune system, chemokines might play a role in both normal and pathological brain function, and the chemokine network could interact with other neuromodulators. The chemokine stromal cell-derived growth factor (SDF)-1/CXCL12, a member of the CXC chemokine family, was tested for its possible effect on the analgesic responses of the cannabinoid receptor agonist aminoalkylindole 4,5-dihydro-2-methyl-4-(4-morpholinylmethyl)-1-(1-naphthalenyl-carbonyl)-6H-pyrrolo-[3,2,1ij]quinolin-6-one [(+)-WIN 55,212-2, hereafter WIN 55,212-2] at the level of the periaqueductal gray (PAG), a brain region critical to the processing of pain signals, and a primary site of action of many analgesic compounds. The administration of WIN 55,212-2 (0.1-0.4 µg/µl) into the PAG resulted in antinociception in a dose-dependent manner. The selective cannabinoid (CB)1 antagonist N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide hydrochloride (SR 141716A; 1-10 µg) given into the PAG blocked the WIN 55,212-2-induced antinociception. In contrast, the selective CB2 antagonist N-[(1S)-endo-1,3,3-trimethyl bicyclo heptan-2-yl]-5-(4-chloro-3-methylphenyl)-1-(4-methylbenzyl)-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (SR144528; 10 µg) did not alter the WIN 55,212-2-induced antinociception. Pretreatment with SDF-1/CXCL12 (100 ng) caused a reduction in antinociceptive responses of WIN 55,212-2. The inhibitory effect of SDF-1/CXCL12 on WIN 55,212-2-induced antinociception was reversed by 1,1'-[1,4-phenylenebis(methylene)]bis [1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane] octohydrobromide dihydrate (AMD 3100) (10-50 ng), an antagonist of the SDF-1/CXCL12, acting at its receptor, CXCR4. This study reports the first in vivo evidence of a functional interaction between chemokine and cannabinoid systems in the brain, showing that the activation of SDF-1/CXCL12 receptors (CXCR4) in the PAG interferes with the analgesic effects of WIN 55212-2.

Address correspondence to: Dr. Khalid Benamar, Center of Substance Abuse Research, Temple University School of Medicine, 3400 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19140. E-mail address: kbenamar{at}temple.edu