In situ tissue profile of rat trigeminal nerve in trigeminal neuralgia using spatial transcriptome sequencing

Abstract

Background: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is the most common neuropathic disorder in the maxillofacial region. The etiology and pathogenesis of TN have not been clearly determined to date, although there are many hypotheses. Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate the interactions between different types of cells in TN, particularly the impact and intrinsic mechanism of demyelination on the trigeminal ganglion, and to identify new important target genes and regulatory pathways in TN. Methods: TN rat models were prepared by trigeminal root compression, and trigeminal nerve tissues were isolated for spatial transcriptome sequencing. The gene expression matrix was reduced dimensionally by PCA and presented by UMAP. Gene function annotation was analyzed by Metascape. The progression of certain clusters and the developmental pseudotime were analyzed using the Monocle package. Modules of the gene coexpression network between different groups were analyzed based on weighted gene coexpression network analysis and assigned AddModuleScore values. The intercellular communication of genes in these networks via ligand–receptor interactions was analyzed using CellPhoneDB analysis. Results: The results suggested that the trigeminal ganglion could affect Schwann cell demyelination and remyelination responses through many ligand–receptor interactions, while the effect of Schwann cells on the trigeminal ganglion was much weaker. Additionally, ferroptosis may be involved in the demyelination of Schwann cells. Conclusions: This study provides spatial transcriptomics sequencing data on TN, reveals new markers, and redefines the relationship between the ganglion and myelin sheath, providing a theoretical basis and supporting data for future mechanistic research and drug development.