Chronification of migraine sensitizes to CGRP in male and female mice
Authors: Guzman Gege , Kopruszinski Caroline M. , Barber Kara R. , Lillo Vizin Robson C. , Dodick David W. , Navratilova Edita , Porreca Frank 
Published: February 2025

Background

Acute therapies targeting calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) for episodic migraine (EM) demonstrate efficacy in women, but evidence of efficacy in men remains to be established. By contrast, CGRP targeting therapies for migraine prevention are effective in both men and women with frequent EM or chronic migraine (CM). Preclinical studies have shown that supradural application of CGRP preferentially produces migraine-like pain behaviors in female rodents. We hypothesized that, in male mice, increased frequency of migraine-like pain may sensitize to nociceptive effects of CGRP and this might be associated with altered expression of CGRP in trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons and/or in their dural projections.

Methods

CM was modeled in male and female mice by repeated administration of nitroglycerin (NTG). Medication overuse headache (MOH), a form of CM, was modeled by repeated daily administration of sumatriptan. Following resolution of transient cutaneous allodynia (CA) elicited by NTG or sumatriptan, mice received a sex specific subthreshold dose of supradural CGRP that does not elicit CA in naïve male or female mice, and CA was evaluated. CGRP-positive cell bodies in the ophthalmic V1 region of the trigeminal ganglion (TGV1) and CGRP-positive nerve fibers innervating the dura mater were assessed.

Results

Supradural administration of 1 pg of CGRP produced migraine-like pain behaviors in female, but not male, mice; a ten-fold lower dose was established as subthreshold in naïve female mice. Repeated NTG or sumatriptan produced transient CA in both female and male mice that resolved within 8–11 days after treatment cessation. Following resolution of CA, previously subthreshold doses of CGRP elicited CA in CM and MOH models in mice of both sexes, with no effects observed in vehicle treated controls. A higher number of CGRP-positive neurons in the TGV1 was found in naïve female compared to male mice. The number of CGRP-positive TGV1 neurons was increased in both sexes following repeated NTG. Similar nerve fiber density was observed in the dura mater of male and female mice and no differences were detected following repeated NTG.

Conclusions

As previously reported, CGRP produced female-selective migraine-like pain behaviors in naïve mice. Consistent with behavioral effects, female mice demonstrated a higher number of CGRP-positive cells in the TGV1. These findings appear relevant to clinical observations of female efficacy of CGRP-receptor antagonists for acute treatment in EM patients. In models of CM or MOH that are characterized by increased frequency of migraine-like pain, previously subthreshold doses of supradural CGRP now elicited migraine-like nociceptive behaviors in mice of both sexes. The increased pain responses were accompanied by increased number CGRP positive TGV1 cells in the NTG model in both female and male mice. These data suggest that increased frequency of migraine promotes physiological changes including increased expression of TGV1 CGRP along with sensitization to CGRP-induced nociception in both males and females. Thus, as EM transforms to CM, CGRP-dependent mechanisms may become increasingly important, consistent with observations of efficacy of CGRP targeting therapies for migraine prevention in both men and women. Our results also suggest the possibility of enhanced efficacy of CGRP-receptor antagonists for the acute treatment of migraine in men as migraine frequency increases.