An Investigation of Lung Mast Cell Behavior in a Rat Model of Migraine: Implications for Migraine Headache

Aim: In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential role of lung mast cells in migraine by using a nitroglycerin-induced migraine model in rats. Materials and Methods: Thirty-five adult male Wistar rats were divided into five groups. Each treatment being performed intraperitoneally, the NS group received 0.2 ml normal saline, the NTG group 10 mg/kg nitroglycerin, the NTG vehicle group 0.2 ml 0.1% ethanol in normal saline, the L-NAME+NTG group 50 mg/kg L-NAME + nitroglycerin, and the NS+NTG group normal saline + nitroglycerin. Two hours after the nitroglycerin and other treatments, the rats under anesthesia were intracardially perfused with a solution of 150 ml 4% paraformaldehyde. The lungs were harvested and stained with toluidine blue to observe mast cells. The data were analyzed by using one-way ANOVA. Results: Nitroglycerin increased significantly both number (from 94±3.8 to 131±6.7, p=0.0035) and percent of degranulation (from 11.8±1.3% to 35.5±5.7%, p=0.003) of lung mast cells. However, L-NAME prevented the effects of nitroglycerin on the number and degranulation of lung mast cells, attenuating the increase in both number (from 136±5.1 to 93±2.5, p=0.0011) and degranulation percentage of lung mast cells (from 37.3±1.0% to 13.6±3.1%, p=0.001) induced by nitroglycerin. Discussion and Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that nitroglycerin treatment leads to an increase in the number and degranulation of lung mast cells in a rat model of migraine induced by nitroglycerin. Moreover, L-NAME prevented these effects, suggesting that nitric oxide released from nitroglycerin directly or indirectly leads to the activation of lung mast cells. The results obtained in the current study can pioneer new research on the role of lung mast cells in migraine