Peripheral Mechanisms of Mechanical Itch

Huijuan Ding; Liqin Zhou; Jiaying Zhou; Jing Feng

doi:10.1016/j.jid.2023.10.041

Peripheral Mechanisms of Mechanical Itch

J Invest Dermatol. 2024 Jan 8:S0022-202X(23)03204-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2023.10.041. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Huijuan Ding¹, Liqin Zhou², Jiaying Zhou¹, Jing Feng³

Affiliations

¹ School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
³ School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China; State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. Electronic address: fengjing@simm.ac.cn.

PMID: 38206270
DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2023.10.041

Abstract

Mechanical itch, which is defined as an itch sensation caused by innocuous mechanical force, may warn of the potential risk in the skin. The increased mechanosensitivity in sensory neurons may cause scratch-induced itch and promote the transition from acute itch to chronic itch. Recent studies have not only expanded our knowledge about the neuronal circuits in the CNS but have also highlighted the importance of the peripheral epithelia-immune-neuronal crosstalk in the development of mechanical itch. In this review, we will summarize related findings about the molecular and cellular mechanisms of mechanical itch in the skin.

Keywords: Alloknesis; Immune cells; Keratinocytes; Mechanical itch; Sensory neurons.

Publication types

Review