Fig. 2

Piezo2 in sensory neurons innervating the skin do not play a role in endothelin-1-induced stimulus-dependent hyperalgesia. Rats were treated for 3 consecutive days with intrathecal injection of the combination of 3 sequences of ODN antisense (AS, dark symbols) or mismatch (MM, open symbols) against Piezo2 mRNA. On the 4th day, endothelin-1 (100 ng) was injected on the dorsum of the hind paw. Four mechanical stimuli, 5 min apart from each other, were performed, starting 15 min after endothelin-1 injection. No difference was observed between the groups in the decrease in the nociceptive threshold subsequent to the mechanical stimuli, indicating that Piezo2 channels in the DRG neurons are not involved in stimulus-dependent hyperalgesia induced by endothelin-1. (p = 0.9895, non-significant, when the groups are compared, two-way repeated measures ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s post hoc test; N = 6 paws per group)