Electroacupuncture attenuates neuropathic pain after brachial plexus injury

Zhang, Shenyu; Zhou, Junming; Gu, Yajia

doi:10.4103/1673-5374.137589

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Additionally, levels of β-endorphin have been found to be correlated with the maximum pain scores of patients of temporomandibular joint surgery [ 63 ], and women undergoing labor [ 64 ]. Notably, immunoreactivity of β-endorphin was found to increase in the arcuate nucleus of rats induced with a brachial plexus injury, which is associated with severe neuropathic pain [ 65 ].…”

Section: Effects Of β-Endorphinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Roles of β-Endorphin in Stress, Behavior, Neuroinflammation, and Brain Energy Metabolism

Pilozzi

Carro

Huang

2020

IJMS

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β-Endorphins are peptides that exert a wide variety of effects throughout the body. Produced through the cleavage pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), β-endorphins are the primarily agonist of mu opioid receptors, which can be found throughout the body, brain, and cells of the immune system that regulate a diverse set of systems. As an agonist of the body’s opioid receptors, β-endorphins are most noted for their potent analgesic effects, but they also have their involvement in reward-centric and homeostasis-restoring behaviors, among other effects. These effects have implicated the peptide in psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, making it a research target of interest. This review briefly summarizes the basics of endorphin function, goes over the behaviors and regulatory pathways it governs, and examines the variability of β-endorphin levels observed between normal and disease/disorder affected individuals.

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Section: Effects Of β-Endorphinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Roles of β-Endorphin in Stress, Behavior, Neuroinflammation, and Brain Energy Metabolism

Pilozzi

Carro

Huang

2020

IJMS

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“…In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the pain occurring after BPRA is related to flaccidity syndrome ( Zhang et al, 2014 ). As a vital component of TCM, acupuncture has been practiced for thousands of years in Eastern countries, and it is usually used as an effective complementary and alternative therapy to relieve different types of pain ( Eshkevari, 2017 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pain Relief Dependent on IL-17–CD4+ T Cell–β-Endorphin Axis in Rat Model of Brachial Plexus Root Avulsion After Electroacupuncture Therapy

Zhu

Shen

et al. 2021

Front. Neurosci.

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Background and purposeNeuropathic pain is the typical symptom of brachial plexus root avulsion (BPRA), and no effective therapy is currently available. Electroacupuncture (EA), as a complementary and alternative therapy, plays a critical role in the management of pain-associated diseases. In the present study, we aimed to reveal the peripheral immunological mechanism of EA in relieving the pain of BPRA through the IL-17–CD4+ T lymphocyte–β-endorphin axis.MethodsAfter receiving repeated EA treatment, the pain of BPRA in rats along with the expressions of a range of neurotransmitters, the contents of inflammatory cytokines, and the population of lymphocytes associated were investigated. CD4+ T lymphocytes were either isolated or depleted with anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody. The titers of IL-17A, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and β-endorphin were examined. The markers of T lymphocytes, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages, and natural killer (NK) cells were assessed. The activation of the nuclear transcription factor κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway was tested.ResultsThe pain of BPRA was significantly relieved, and the amount of CD4+ T lymphocytes was increased after EA treatment. The release of β-endorphin was up-regulated with the up-regulation of IL-17A in CD4+ T lymphocytes. The titer of IL-17A was enhanced, leading to an activated NF-κB signaling pathway. The release of β-endorphin and the analgesic effect were almost completely abolished when CD4+ T lymphocytes were depleted.ConclusionWe, for the first time, showed that the neuropathic pain caused by BPRA was effectively relieved by EA treatment via IL-17–CD4+ T lymphocyte–β-endorphin mediated peripheral analgesic effect, providing scientific support for EA clinical application.

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“…In this study 19 , electrical stimulation to the median nerve may also stimulate the acupuncture point (Neiguan) as in the original protocol 13 . Electroacupuncture had been reported to relieve pain by using electrical stimulation through needles in specific acupuncture points 20 21 22 23 . To further examine possible contributions of electroacupuncture to pain reduction during BreEStim, we used the same protocol 19 , but stimulated a different peripheral nerve – ulnar nerve at the elbow on the dominant side where no acupuncture points are involved.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pain modulation effect of breathing-controlled electrical stimulation (BreEStim) is not likely to be mediated by deep and fast voluntary breathing

2015

Sci Rep

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Voluntary breathing-controlled electrical stimulation (BreEStim), a novel non-invasive and non-pharmacological treatment protocol for neuropathic pain management, was reported to selectively reduce the affective component of pain possibly by increasing pain threshold. The underlying mechanisms involved in the analgesic effect of BreEStim were considered to result from combination of multiple internal pain coping mechanisms triggered during BreEStim. Findings from our recent studies have excluded possible roles of acupuncture and aversiveness and habituation of painful electrical stimulation in mediating the analgesia effect of BreEStim. To further investigate the possible role of voluntary breathing during BreEStim, the effectiveness of fast and deep voluntary breathing-only and BreEStim on experimentally induced pain was compared in healthy human subjects. Results showed no change in electrical pain threshold after Breathing-only, but a significant increase in electrical pain threshold after BreEStim. There was no statistically significant change in other thresholds after Breathing-only and BreEStim. The findings suggest that the analgesic effect of BreEStim is not likely attributed to fast and deep voluntary breathing. Possible mechanisms are discussed.

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Electroacupuncture attenuates neuropathic pain after brachial plexus injury

Cited by 16 publications

References 20 publications

Roles of β-Endorphin in Stress, Behavior, Neuroinflammation, and Brain Energy Metabolism

Roles of β-Endorphin in Stress, Behavior, Neuroinflammation, and Brain Energy Metabolism

Pain Relief Dependent on IL-17–CD4+ T Cell–β-Endorphin Axis in Rat Model of Brachial Plexus Root Avulsion After Electroacupuncture Therapy

Pain modulation effect of breathing-controlled electrical stimulation (BreEStim) is not likely to be mediated by deep and fast voluntary breathing

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