Glutamate dysregulation in the trigeminal ganglion:A novel mechanism for peripheral sensitization of the craniofacial region

In the trigeminal ganglion (TG), satellite glial cells (SGCs) form a functional unit with neurons. It has been proposed that SGCs participate in regulating extracellular glutamate levels and that dysfunction of this SGC capacity can impact nociceptive transmission in craniofacial pain conditions. This study investigated whether SGCs release glutamate and whether elevation of TG glutamate concentration alters response properties of trigeminal afferent fibers. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess glutamate content and the expression of excitatory amino acid transporter (EAAT)1 and EAAT2 in TG sections. SGCs contained glutamate and expressed EAAT1 and EAAT2. Potassium chloride (10 mM) was used to evoke glutamate release from cultured rat SGCs treated with the EAAT1/2 inhibitor (3S)-3-[[3-[[4-(trifluoromethyl)ben zoyl]amino]phenyl]methoxy]-L-aspartic acid (TFB-TBOA) or control. Treatment with TFB-TBOA (1 and 10 μM) significantly reduced the glutamate concentration from 10.6 ± 1.1 to 5.8 ± 1.4 μM and 3.0 ± 0.8 μM, respectively (p