Neurogenic inflammation is considered as an animal model of human migraine attacks. Using flow cytometry, we examined T-cell subsets and their integrin expression in the peripheral blood of 32 migraine patients in order to evaluate a possible inflammatory process in humans, as postulated in the migraine animal model. Our results show that migraine patients have a significant increased proportion of T-helper (47.4 +/- 6.3% vs 43.2 +/- 5.8%; p < 0.01) and T-helper memory cells (23.6 +/- 5.9 vs 20.3 +/- 6.5%; p < 0.01). Moreover, the 22 migraine patients without aura also exhibited an increase of LFA-1 expression of T-helper cells (34.7 +/- 11.5%) compared to the 35 controls (27.5 +/- 12.0%; p < 0.01). These preliminary results support the hypothesis that immunological mechanisms (such as an enhanced lymphocyte endothelium interaction) could be part of the migraine pathophysiology in humans.
Excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters and biogenic amines are important signaling molecules stored by and released from endocrine cells. They are either synthesized or taken up by endocrine cells and subsequently stored in secretory vesicles. Analysis of these storage mechanisms and of the receptors of these paracrine signaling molecules revealed important cross-talk within endocrine glands which add to storage and release of peptide hormones. Components of the exocytosis apparatus are shared by the release of transmitters and hormones. They, as other classical markers, can serve as broad spectrum markers for neuroendocrine tumors. Novel specific markers arise from studies of the synthesis, uptake, and targets of transmitters identified as an additional paracrine signaling system in endocrine systems.
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