Prokineticin 2 Upregulation in the Peripheral Nervous System Has a Major Role in Triggering and Maintaining Neuropathic Pain in the Chronic Constriction Injury Model

Figure 4

Representative sections of mouse L4-L5 ipsilateral DRG, at 10 dpi, from sham (a), CCI-saline (b), and CCI-PC1 (c) mice. Immunofluorescence double-staining of PROK2 (green) with GFAP (marker for satellite cells, red). Cell nuclei were counterstained with DAPI (blue fluorescence). In DRG of sham-operated mice the PROK2 signal was very faint, localized only along cell membrane of some neurons, mainly small sized (arrowheads), and in few GFAP+ satellite cells (arrow) (a). In neurons of CCI-saline mice, PROK2 immunofluorescence was significantly increased and showed a vesicular cytoplasmatic pattern which is dense in proximity of the neuronal membrane (arrowheads). The number of PROK2+ satellite cells is increased (arrows). PROK2 signal in CCI-PC1 mice was comparable with that of sham mice (c). Scale bar, 30 μm. (d) Evaluation of PROK2 fluorescence intensity. One-way ANOVA was used for statistical evaluation, followed by Tukey test for multiple comparisons ^*** CCI-saline versus sham mice; ^°°° CCI-PC1 versus CCI-saline mice.

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