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Novel Trajectories Towards Possible Effects of Semaglutide for Amelioration of Reserpine-induced Fibromyalgia in Rats: Contribution of cAMP/PKA/p-CREB and M1/M2 Microglia Polarization.

J Neuroimmune Pharmacol · 2025

Last updated 2026-05-28

In a rat study, semaglutide—a GLP-1 drug—was tested at doses of 5, 10, or 20 nmol/kg for 14 days to treat fibromyalgia-like symptoms caused by reserpine. The drug reduced pain, improved movement issues and depression, and decreased inflammation in the spinal cord by increasing CD163 and reducing CD86 levels. It also worked through a specific biological pathway (cAMP/PKA/p-CREB) and shifted immune cell activity toward a less inflammatory state.

AI summary of the abstract below.

JournalJ Neuroimmune Pharmacol, 2025
Citations7
Relative citation ratio3.16
Molecules semaglutide

Abstract

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a pain disorder characterized by pervasive musculoskeletal pain associated with exhaustion, depression, and irregular sleep patterns. Semaglutide, an innovative glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist, has shown analgesic effects by modulating pain hypersensitivity in animal models of inflammatory pain. The objective of this study is to ascertain semaglutide's therapeutic potential against FM-like symptoms caused by reserpine. Reserpine (1 mg/kg/day; SC) was administered into rats for 3 consecutive days, then they were treated daily with semaglutide intraperitoneally in low (5 nmol/kg), intermediate (10 nmol/kg), or high doses (20 nmol/kg), respectively, for 14 consecutive days. Semaglutide alleviated reserpine induced histopathological and immunohistopathological changes in spinal cord of rats evidenced by a remarkable rise in immuno-expression of cluster of differentiation 163 (CD163) contrary to a significant diminution in CD86 level as compared with reserpine group. Semaglutide also had an analgesic effect and improved motor incoordination, and depression brought on by reserpine. Furthermore, it had an anti-inflammatory impact via stimulating cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)/ protein kinase A (PKA)/ cAMP response element (CRE)-binding protein (CREB) signaling pathway and shifting M1/M2 macrophage polarization towards the M2. Semaglutide's anti-inflammatory actions were manifested through inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase and reduction in dorsal root ganglia concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α together with elevation in the levels of arginase-1 and interleukin-4.

Verbatim abstract via PubMed 40240584 ↗

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