Itching mice help manage skin conditions

Researchers in Belgium have discovered, in mice, a biological mechanism that regulates itching, providing a basis for potential new treatments for skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. 

Scientists from the Université catholique de Louvain (UC Louvain) found that a protein present on the surface of skin sensory nerve cells/neurons, called TRPV4, which is involved in the perception of temperature and pressure in the skin, is also involved in itching.  

By studying mice with a condition similar to atopic dermatitis, which causes chronic itching, the researchers found that when their sensory neurons lacked TRPV4, they scratched less frequently and each scratching bout lasted longer compared with mice whose sensory neurons had the protein. 

“When we scratch an itch, at some point we stop because there's a negative feedback signal that tells us we're satisfied. Without TRPV4, the mice don't feel this feedback, so they continue scratching much longer than normal,” explained Roberta Gualdani, leader of the unpublished research presented at the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in San Francisco, US.  

These findings suggest that TRPV4 plays a dual role, triggering itching while also restraining it. For its use in therapeutic approaches, future research may include understanding the two mechanisms separately.