A proteomics approach was used to investigate global protein changes in rat
sensory ganglia exposed to pro-inflammatory stimuli. Inflammation was prov
oked in vivo by injecting selected facial areas with Freunds Complete Adjuv
ant (FCA), or by stimulating freshly isolated trigeminal ganglia ex vivo wi
th pro-inflammatory mediators (interleukin-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor-al
pha, interferon-gamma). Following two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, silv
er staining and mass spectrometry, a protein reference map and database was
generated for rat trigeminal ganglia, which to our knowledge is the first
to be reported. Sixty-seven out of 85 selected protein spots were successfu
lly identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spect
rometry. This reference map was used to monitor changes in the ganglia prot
eome induced during inflammation in vivo and ex vivo. In vivo we found that
FCA treatment specifically induced differential protein expression of two
unidentified protein spots and, to a lower extent, of P-tubulin. Image anal
ysis of ganglia treated ex vivo with the cocktail of cytokines indicated th
at some of the changes in the protein population were also observed in vivo
after FCA treatment. If the cytokine stimulation was performed in the pres
ence of acetaminophen (paracetamol), the drug seemed to reverse the effects
of cytokine treatment for at least some protein spots, restoring the same
protein pattern observed in control samples.