Abstract
BackgroundPituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) plays several important roles in vasodilation, neurotransmission, neuromodulation and neurotrophy, as well as activation of the trigeminovascular system. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between altered PACAP levels in peripheral blood and different types of headache.MethodsThe present study enrolled 101 outpatients with headache and 35 healthy control volunteers. Blood samples were collected from the cubital vein and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were separated. Total mRNA in the PBMCs was extracted and the expression of PACAP mRNA was analyzed by quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR).ResultsThere was a significant decrease in PACAP mRNA expression in the PBMCs of the migraine (M) group relative to the healthy control group. However, there were no significant differences in PACAP mRNA expression between the control group and tension-type headache (TTH), cluster headache (CH), or medication overuse headache (MOH) groups.ConclusionThe PBMC levels of patients with migraine, but not other commonly seen headache types, exhibited a significant reduction in PACAP mRNA expression compared with healthy control subjects.
Highlights
Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) plays several important roles in vasodilation, neurotransmission, neuromodulation and neurotrophy, as well as activation of the trigeminovascular system
The PACAP expression in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of headache patients and the healthy controls To determine the expression of PACAP mRNA in the PBMCs of headache patients, PBMCs were isolated and evaluated using quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR)
To examine whether the level of PACAP mRNA expression in the PBMCs correlated with headache, the data for M, tension-type headache (TTH), cluster headache (CH) and medication overuse headache (MOH) groups were compared with the healthy control group respectively
Summary
Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) plays several important roles in vasodilation, neurotransmission, neuromodulation and neurotrophy, as well as activation of the trigeminovascular system. Headache can be classified as primary and secondary disorder. The pathophysiology of headache includes traction to or irritation of the meninges and blood vessels, because the brain itself is not sensitive to pain due to its lack of nociceptors [4]. These receptors, which are located at the extracranial arteries, middle meningeal. Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a member of the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)/secretin/glucagon peptide family, which is widely expressed in humans in the central nervous system (CNS), endocrine glands, and peripheral organs [6]. Recent studies have demonstrated an important role of PACAP in nociceptive processes [10,11,12], identified PACAP in the trigeminal system [12], and observed the
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