title: Sex-, stress-, and sympathetic post-ganglionic-dependent changes in identity and proportions of immune cells in the dura.
abstract: Aim of investigation Due to compelling evidence in support of links between sex, stress, sympathetic post-ganglionic innervation, dural immune cells, and migraine, our aim was to characterize the impacts of these factors on the type and proportion of immune cells in the dura. Methods Dural immune cells were obtained from naïve or stressed adult male and female Sprague Dawley rats for flow cytometry. Rats with surgical denervation of sympathetic post-ganglionic neurons of the dura were also studied. Results Immune cells comprise ∼17% of all cells in the dura. These included: macrophages/granulocytes ("Macs"; 63.2% of immune cells), dendritic cells (0.88%), T-cells (4.51%), natural killer T-cells (0.51%), natural killer cells (3.08%), and B-cells (20.0%). There were significantly more Macs and fewer B- and natural killer T-cells in the dura of females compared with males. Macs and dendritic cells were significantly increased by stress in males, but not females. In contrast, T-cells were significantly increased in females with a 24-hour delay following stress. Lastly, Macs, dendritic cells, and T-cells were significantly higher in sympathectomized-naïve males, but not females. Conclusions It may not only be possible, but necessary to use different strategies for the most effective treatment of migraine in men and women.
authors.affiliation: 1 Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.|2 The Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: McIlvried
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: J Agustin
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Borghesi
authors.affiliation: 1 Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.|2 The Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.|4 Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.|5 Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Gold
mesh_terms: D000320:Adrenergic Fibers; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D002452:Cell Count; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004388:Dura Mater / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013562:Sympathectomy; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology
keywords: Headache; autonomic; inflammation; meninges