Immune cell neural interactions and their contributions to sickle cell disease

Varun Sagi; Aditya Mittal; Mihir Gupta; Kalpna Gupta

doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2019.02.008

Immune cell neural interactions and their contributions to sickle cell disease

Neurosci Lett. 2019 Apr 23:699:167-171. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.02.008. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Authors

Varun Sagi¹, Aditya Mittal¹, Mihir Gupta², Kalpna Gupta³

Affiliations

¹ Vascular Biology Center, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
² Department of Neurosurgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
³ Vascular Biology Center, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. Electronic address: gupta014@umn.edu.

PMID: 30738871
DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.02.008

Abstract

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is characterized by hemolysis, inflammation, and pain. Mechanisms of pain manifestation are complex, and there is a major gap in knowledge of how the nervous and immune systems interact to contribute to pain and other comorbidities in SCD. Sterile inflammation in the periphery and central nervous system contributes to vascular and neural activation. Cellular and soluble mediators create an inflammatory and neuroinflammatory microenvironment contributing to neurogenic inflammation and acute and chronic pain. In this review we highlight relevant neuro-immune interactions that contribute to the pathobiology of SCD.

Keywords: Inflammation; Mast cells; Pain; Serpins; Sickle cell disease.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Review

MeSH terms

Anemia, Sickle Cell / complications
Anemia, Sickle Cell / immunology*
Anemia, Sickle Cell / physiopathology*
Humans
Neuroimmunomodulation*
Pain / complications
Pain / physiopathology

Grants and funding

U01 HL117664/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States