SPOCK2 modulates neuropathic pain by interacting with MT1-MMP to regulate astrocytic MMP-2 activation in rats with chronic constriction injury

• Published in: Journal of neuroinflammation 2024-02, Vol.21 (1), p.57-57, Article 57
• Main Authors: Wang, Chenglong, Xu, Yitong, Xu, Miao, Sun, Cong, Zhang, Xiaojiao, Tao, Xueshu, Song, Tao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Animals; Astrocyte; Astrocytes; Astrocytes - metabolism; Cancer; Care and treatment; CCI; Central nervous system; Chemokines; Constriction; Cytokines; Diagnosis; Drug dosages; Drug withdrawal; Extracellular matrix; Extracellular signal-regulated kinase; Gelatinase A; Hyperalgesia; Immunofluorescence; Immunohistochemistry; Immunoprecipitation; Latency; Matrix metalloproteinase; Matrix Metalloproteinase 14; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; Metalloproteinase; MMP-2; Molecular modelling; MT1-MMP; Neuralgia; Neuralgia - etiology; Neuralgia - metabolism; Neuropathic pain; Osteonectin; Pain; Pathogenesis; Peripheral nerve diseases; Protein-protein interactions; Proteins; Proteoglycans; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Spinal cord; SPOCK2
• ISSN: 1742-2094; 1742-2094
• DOI: 10.1186/s12974-024-03051-5

Neuropathic pain (NP) is a kind of intractable pain. The pathogenesis of NP remains a complicated issue for pain management practitioners. SPARC/osteonectin, CWCV, and Kazal-like domains proteoglycan 2 (SPOCK2) are members of the SPOCK family that play a significant role in the development of the central nervous system. In this study, we investigated the role of SPOCK2 in the development of NP in a rat model of chronic constriction injury (CCI). Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly grouped to establish CCI models. We examined the effects of SPOCK2 on pain hpersensitivity and spinal astrocyte activation after CCI-induced NP. Paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and paw withdrawal latency (PWL) were used to reflects the pain behavioral degree. Molecular mechanisms involved in SPOCK2-mediated NP in vivo were examined by western blot analysis, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and co-immunoprecipitation. In addition, we examined the SPOCK2-mediated potential protein-protein interaction (PPI) in vitro coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) experiments. We founded the expression level of SPOCK2 in rat spinal cord was markedly increased after CCI-induced NP, while SPOCK2 downregulation could partially relieve pain caused by CCI. Our research showed that SPOCK2 expressed significantly increase in spinal astrocytes when CCI-induced NP. In addition, SPOCK2 could act as an upstream signaling molecule to regulate the activation of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), thus affecting astrocytic ERK1/2 activation and interleukin (IL)-1β production in the development of NP. Moreover, in vitro coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) experiments showed that SPOCK2 could interact with membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP/MMP14) to regulate MMP-2 activation by the SPARC extracellular (SPARC_EC) domain. Research shows that SPOCK2 can interact with MT1-MMP to regulate MMP-2 activation, thus affecting astrocytic ERK1/2 activation and IL-1β production to achieve positive promotion of NP.