Electroacupuncture Treatment Alleviates the Remifentanil-Induced Hyperalgesia by Regulating the Activities of the Ventral Posterior Lateral Nucleus of the Thalamus Neurons in Rats

Abstract

Mechanisms underlying remifentanil- (RF-) induced hyperalgesia, a phenomenon that is generally named as opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH), still remain elusive. The ventral posterior lateral nucleus (VPL) of the thalamus, a key relay station for the transmission of nociceptive information to the cerebral cortex, is activated by RF infusion. Electroacupuncture (EA) is an effective method for the treatment of pain. This study aimed to explore the role of VPL in the development of OIH and the effect of EA treatment on OIH in rats. RF was administered to rats via the tail vein for OIH induction. Paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) in response to mechanical stimuli and paw withdrawal latency (PWL) to thermal stimulation were tested in rats for the assessment of mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, respectively. Spontaneous neuronal activity and local field potential (LFP) in VPL were recorded in freely moving rats using the in vivo multichannel recording technique. EA at 2 Hz frequency (pulse width 0.6 ms, 1–3 mA) was applied to the bilateral acupoints “Zusanli” (ST.36) and “Sanyinjiao” (SP.6) in rats. The results showed that both the PWT and PWL were significantly decreased after RF infusion to rats. Meanwhile, both the spontaneous neuronal firing rate and the theta band oscillation in VPL LFP were increased on day 3 post-RF infusion, indicating that the VPL may promote the development of RF-induced hyperalgesia by regulating the pain-related cortical activity. Moreover, 2 Hz-EA reversed the RF-induced decrease both in PWT and PWL of rats and also abrogated the RF-induced augmentation of the spontaneous neuronal activity and the power spectral density (PSD) of the theta band oscillation in VPL LFP. These results suggested that 2 Hz-EA attenuates the remifentanil-induced hyperalgesia via reducing the excitability of VPL neurons and the low-frequency (theta band) oscillation in VPL LFP.

Efficacy of different acupuncture therapies on postherpetic neuralgia: A Bayesian network meta-analysis

“…Acupuncture reduces pain by inhibiting this activation ( Lin et al, 2016 ; Wang J. Y. et al, 2018 ). (5) Acupuncture can regulate the entire brain area network of pain stimulation by adjusting the interaction between various brain functional areas and neurotransmitters, producing analgesic effects ( Yuan et al, 2018 ; Zhao et al, 2018 ). (6) Acupuncture exerts analgesic effects by mediating mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways, including the spinal cord p38/MAPK ( Fang et al, 2013 ; Liang et al, 2016 ), extracellular-signal-regulated kinase ( Choi et al, 2012 ; Park et al, 2014 ), c-Jun N-terminal kinase ( Lee et al, 2013 ), and nuclear factor kappa-B pathways ( Park et al, 2002 ).…”

Thalamocortical Circuit Controls Neuropathic Pain via Up-regulation of HCN2 in the Ventral Posterolateral Thalamus

“…Besides, human brain imaging studies have shown that mean VPL volume is strongly associated with average and worst pain intensity, and abnormal connectivity between the VPL and other brain regions, such as the postcentral gyrus and insula, has been confirmed in patients suffering from pain [ 15 , 16 , 43 ]. In rodents, the spontaneous spike rate and the oscillation of local field potentials in the VPL have been reported to be increased in remifentanil-induced hyperalgesia [ 21 ]. In line with these findings, we further revealed an increase in VPL TC neuronal activity in the SNI-evoked neuropathic pain state.…”

Analysis of Acupoints Combination for Cancer-Related Anorexia Based on Association Rule Mining

“…Since an acupoint combination treatment efficacy is higher than a single acupoint [ 46 , 47 ], in clinical application, acupoints are used in conjunction with each other [ 48 ]. ZHANG X. et al reported that in patients with liver cancer, transcutaneous electrical stimulation of Neiguan (PC 6) and Jianshi (PC 5) improves gastrointestinal disturbances caused by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization [ 49 ].…”