Vanilloid receptor TRPV1-mediated phosphorylation of ERK in murine adjuvant arthritis

The vanilloid receptor TRPV1, expressed by sensory neurons that innervate joints, is implicated in arthritis but the mechanisms are not fully understood. One possibility is that downstream effects of activation of TRPV1 are mediated by the extracellularly-regulated kinase ERK. ERK is phosphorylated (pERK) in sensory neurons in response to noxious stimuli and its inhibition has been found to be antinociceptive in several pain models. We here wanted to ascertain whether TRPV1 may contribute to the pain hypersensitivity and inflammation of arthritis via an ERK-mediated pathway