Chronic itch is a devastating clinical condition, and its central mechanisms remain poorly understood. We reported that spinal cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB 2 R) activation exerts antipruritic effects and that itch escalates in mice lacking Cnr2 in mouse models of dermatitis and psoriasis. In the spinal cord, CB 2 R is mainly expressed in microglia, and microglial ablation or inhibition attenuated chronic itch, suggesting that microglial activation contributes to chronic itch. Particularly, conditional Cnr2 deletion in microglia also exacerbated chronic itch in mice. Single-cell RNA sequencing and molecular mechanistic studies suggest that CB 2 R activation reprogrammed microglia by inducing anti-inflammatory suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) and reducing itch-related p38 and signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) phosphorylation. Finally, CB 2 R activation suppressed neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission in gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP)/GRP receptor (GRPR) interneurons and ascending projection neurons by inhibiting microglia-derived cytokines. These findings demonstrate that microglial activation contributes to chronic itch, while CB 2 R activation in microglia alleviates chronic itch via neuro-immune interactions.
Cannabinoid receptors are widely distributed in many cells in Rheumatoid arthritis RA and strengthening factor to boost the development of RA diseases. Here, the hollow mesoporous copper sulfide (CuS) was used as the carrier skeleton and the cannabinoid type 2 (CB2) receptor agonist JWH133 was efficiently loaded inside of CuS through adsorption, then the outer layer was modified with hyaluronic acid (HA) to prevent the leakage of internal drugs. After the [email protected] nano carrier reached the target area, HA responsive cracked under RA microenvironment to realize the first step of accurate drug delivery of JWH133, and the thermally responsive CuS under near-infrared (NIR) promoted the release of internal drugs. Then, JWH133 specifically combined CB2 receptors on the surface of macrophage, synovial cells and osteoblasts to realize the second step of drug delivery. The inflammatory factors secreted by cells are significantly inhibited, and the activity of osteoblasts was significantly enhanced. Therapeutic effect by [email protected] of RA was well verified by decreasing levels of inflammation in vivo and improvement of inflamed and swollen joints of mice. The [email protected] nanocomposite showed satisfactory multidimensional therapeutic effect of RA in vitro and in vivo , which provided a novel idea for RA treatment.