title: The novel roles of neutrophils via opioid peptides: regulation of the estrous cycle and pain.
abstract: Neutrophils are excreted into the vaginal vault at metestrus during the estrous cycle, and this phenomenon has long been used to determine the phase of the estrous cycle. A much smaller number of neutrophils are also detected in the uterus and the ovary. Recently, we provided several lines of evidence supporting the notion that neutrophils infiltrate into the ovary to regulate the estrous cycle by opioid peptides. Upon inflammation, on the other hand, neutrophils infiltrate into the site of infection to suppress pain by opioid peptides. Thus, opioid peptides are key molecules by which neutrophils play a novel role in regulation of the pain and estrous cycle. In both cases, opioid peptides appear to be secreted by neutrophils stimulated with chemokines, such as MIP-2 and KC in mouse, corticotropin-releasing hormone and IL-1.
authors: Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomolecular Science, Faculty of Science, Toho University, Chiba, Funabashi, Japan. yoshiro@biomol.sci.toho-u.ac.jp
authors: Yoshiro
authors: Y
authors: Kobayashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D054360:Chemokine CXCL1 / Q000378:metabolism; D054426:Chemokine CXCL2 / Q000378:metabolism; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D030762:Estrous Cycle / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D020556:Neutrophil Infiltration; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018847:Opioid Peptides / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D010146:Pain / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D054360:Chemokine CXCL1; D054426:Chemokine CXCL2; C475895:Cxcl1 protein, mouse; D007375:Interleukin-1; D018847:Opioid Peptides; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone