Levine J D, Clark R, Devor M, Helms C, Moskowitz M A, Basbaum A I
Science. 1984 Nov 2;226(4674):547-9. doi: 10.1126/science.6208609.
There is evidence that substance P is a peptide neurotransmitter of some unmyelinated primary afferent nociceptors and that its release from the peripheral terminals of primary afferent fibers mediates neurogenic inflammation. The investigators examined whether substance P also contributes to the severity of adjuvant-induced arthritis, an inflammatory disease in rats. They found that, in the rat, joints that developed more severe arthritis (ankles) were more densely innervated by substance P-containing primary afferent neurons than were joints that developed less severe arthritis (knees). Infusion of substance P into the knee increased the severity of arthritis; injection of a substance P receptor antagonist did not. These results suggest a significant physiological difference between joints that develop mild and severe arthritis and indicate that release of intraneuronal substance P in joints contributes to the severity of the arthritis.
有证据表明，P物质是一些无髓初级传入伤害感受器的肽类神经递质，并且其从初级传入纤维的外周终末释放介导了神经源性炎症。研究人员检测了P物质是否也会导致佐剂诱导的关节炎（一种大鼠炎症性疾病）的严重程度增加。他们发现，在大鼠中，发生更严重关节炎的关节（踝关节）比发生不太严重关节炎的关节（膝关节）由含P物质的初级传入神经元支配的密度更高。向膝关节注入P物质会增加关节炎的严重程度；注射P物质受体拮抗剂则不会。这些结果表明，发生轻度和重度关节炎的关节之间存在显著的生理差异，并表明关节内神经元P物质的释放会导致关节炎的严重程度增加。
