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Establishing a Mouse Model of Small Fiber Neuropathy Using Resiniferatoxin

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Begin with a solution of resiniferatoxin (RTX), a high-affinity agonist of the TRPV1 receptor—pain-sensitive ion channels expressed on sensory neurons.

Take an anesthetized adult mouse and administer RTX intraperitoneally.

The drug enters systemic circulation and reaches the dorsal root ganglia (DRG), a cluster of sensory neuron cell bodies located near the spinal cord.

RTX crosses the blood-nerve barrier and interacts with small-diameter sensory neurons in the DRG that abundantly express TRPV1.

RTX binding to TRPV1 activates the receptors, inducing a massive calcium ion influx into the neurons.

Intracellular calcium activates enzymes that degrade cell membrane phospholipids, cellular proteins, and DNA, ultimately leading to neuronal death.

Subsequently, the intraepidermal nerve fibers (IENFs), the peripheral terminals of small-diameter sensory neurons that innervate the skin, begin to degenerate.

This degeneration of IENFs results in the loss of sensory input from the skin, thereby establishing a small fiber neuropathy model.

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Establishing a Mouse Model of Small Fiber Neuropathy Using Resiniferatoxin

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