G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor 30 regulation of signaling downstream of protein kinase Cε mediates sex dimorphism in hyaluronan-induced antihyperalgesia

High molecular weight hyaluronan (HMWH) inhibits hyperalgesia induced by diverse pronociceptive inflammatory mediators and their second messengers, in rats of both sexes. However, the hyperalgesia induced by ligands at 3 pattern recognition receptors, lipopolysaccharide (a toll-like receptor 4 agonist), lipoteichoic acid (a toll-like receptor 2/6 agonist), and nigericin (a NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 activator), and oxaliplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy are only attenuated in males. After gonadectomy or intrathecal administration of an antisense to G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor 30 (GPER) mRNA, HMWH produces antihyperalgesia in females. In nociceptors cultured from rats that had been treated with oxaliplatin, HMWH reverses nociceptor sensitization from male and GPER antisense-treated female, but not from gonad intact females. G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor-dependent sex dimorphism for HMWH-induced antihyperalgesia was also observed for the prolongation of prostaglandin E-2 (PGE(2))-induced hyperalgesia in primed nociceptors. While in primed rats, HMWH inhibits early, protein kinase A-dependent hyperalgesia, 30 minutes post PGE(2) injection, in both sexes; measured 4 hours post-PGE(2), HMWH inhibits the protein kinase C epsilon (PKC epsilon)-dependent prolongation of PGE(2) hyperalgesia only in males and GPER antisense-treated females. In females, hyperalgesia induced by PKC epsilon agonist, psi epsilon RACK, in control but not in primed nociceptors, was inhibited by HMWH. Inhibitors of 2 GPER second messengers, extracellular-regulated kinase 1/2 and nonreceptor tyrosine kinase, also unmasked HMWH antihyperalgesia in females with oxaliplatin chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, a condition in which nociceptors are primed as well as sensitized. Our results support GPER-dependent sex dimorphism in HMWH-induced antihyperalgesia for pain induced by pattern recognition receptor agonists, and chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain, mediated by changes in signaling downstream of PKC epsilon in primed nociceptors.