Sciatic nerve injury induces apoptosis of dorsal root ganglion satellite glial cells and selectively modifies neurosteroidogenesis in sensory neurons.

Neurosteroids are synthesized either by glial cells, by neurons, or within the context of neuron-glia cross-talk. Various studies suggested neurosteroid involvement in the control of neurodegeneration but there is no evidence showing that the natural protection of nerve cells against apoptosis directly depends on their own capacity to produce neuroprotective neurosteroids. Here, we investigated the interactions between neurosteroidogenesis and apoptosis occurring in sensory structures of rats subjected to neuropathic pain generated by sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury (CCI). Using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL), we observed no apoptotic cells in the spinal cord up to 30 days after CCI although pain symptoms such as mechano-allodynia, thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia were evidenced with the Hargreaves's behavioral and von Frey filament tests. In contrast, double-labeling experiments combining TUNEL and immunostaining with antibodies against glutamine synthetase or neuronal nuclei protein revealed apoptosis occurrence in satellite glial cells (SGC) (not in neurons) of CCI rat ipsilateral dorsal root ganglia (DRG) at day 30 after injury. Pulse-chase experiments coupled with high performance liquid chromatography and flow scintillation detection showed that, among numerous biosynthetic pathways converting [(3)H]pregnenolone into various [(3)H]neurosteroids, only [(3)H]estradiol formation was selectively modified and upregulated in DRG of CCI rats. Consistently, immunohistochemical investigations localized aromatase (estradiol-synthesizing enzyme) in DRG neurons but not in SGC. Pharmacological inhibition of aromatase caused apoptosis of CCI rat DRG neurons. Altogether, our results suggest that endogenously produced neurosteroids such as estradiol may be pivotal for the protection of DRG sensory neurons against sciatic nerve CCI-induced apoptosis.