Role of Neuroimmune Crosstalk in Mediating the Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Effects of Acupuncture on Inflammatory Pain

Abstract

Inflammatory pain is caused by peripheral tissue injury and inflammation. Inflammation leads to peripheral sensitization, which may further cause central sensitization, resulting in chronic pain and progressive functional disability. Neuroimmune crosstalk plays an essential role in the development and maintenance of inflammatory pain. Studies in recent years have shown that acupuncture can exert anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects by regulating peripheral (i.e., involving local acupoints and inflamed regions) and central neuroimmune interactions. At the local acupoints, acupuncture can activate the TRPV1 and TRPV2 channels of mast cells, thereby promoting degranulation and the release of histamine, adenosine, and other immune mediators, which interact with receptors on nerve endings and initiate neuroimmune regulation. At sites of inflammation, acupuncture enables the recruitment of immune cells, causing the release of opioid peptides, while also exerting direct analgesic effects via nerve endings. Furthermore, acupuncture promotes the balance of immune cells and regulates the release of inflammatory factors, thereby reducing the stimulation of nociceptive receptors in peripheral organs. Acupuncture also alleviates peripheral neurogenic inflammation by inhibiting the release of substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide from the dorsal root ganglia. At the central nervous system level, acupuncture inhibits the crosstalk between glial cells and neurons by inhibiting the p38 MAPK, ERK, and JNK signaling pathways and regulating the release of inflammatory mediators. It also reduces the excitability of the pain pathway by reducing the release of excitatory neurotransmitters and promoting the release of inhibitory neurotransmitters from neurons and glial cells. In conclusion, the regulation of neuroimmune crosstalk at the peripheral and central levels mediates the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of acupuncture on inflammatory pain in an integrated manner. These findings provide novel insights enabling the clinical application of acupuncture in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

The application of acupuncture in cardiopathy: A bibliometric analysis based on Web of Science across ten recent years

“…Due to the characteristics of acute onset, severe condition, and high mortality of cardiovascular diseases, as a complementary and alternative therapy, the therapeutic effect of acupuncture in cardiovascular diseases has been neglected in the past. In recent years, with the development of the mechanism of acupuncture in analgesia, anti-inflammatory and nerve regulation ( 7 – 9 ), and effects in withdrawal syndrome ( 17 ), weight loss ( 18 ), and blood pressure regulation ( 19 ), acupuncture has become a potential therapeutic method for reducing cardiovascular disease risk factors, reducing the number of acute attacks, improving the results of electrocardiography, and alleviating anxiety and depression ( 20 ). This could explain the slow development progress of this field in the past, but the trend of steady growth augurs well for the future.…”

Paper-Based Detection Device for Microenvironment Examination: Measuring Neurotransmitters and Cytokines in the Mice Acupoint

“…According to modern neuroanatomy studies, the acupoint is a stereoscopic structure with skin, connective tissue, subcutaneous tissue, nerve, and muscle. At each acupoint, peripheral nerve endings, plentiful neuronal or non-neuronal receptors, and capillaries, are highly expressed, which subsequently respond to the stimulation of acupuncture [ 14 , 15 ]. Yet, examining and understanding small changes in the local acupoint microenvironment is an unmet medical problem.…”

Triclosan targets miR-144 abnormal expression to induce neurodevelopmental toxicity mediated by activating PKC/MAPK signaling pathway

“…Thus, we posit that TCS targets GPER for activation of the PKC/MAPK signaling pathway, in which PKC is phosphorylated to become dissociated from the PKC-Keap1 compound and thereby becomes activated (Huang et al, 2020). MAPK is mainly composed of four sub-families, which are extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) (Dou et al, 2021). An overall conceptual representation is elaborated in Fig.…”

“…These molecules play key roles in the regulation of cellular responses. For example, miR-144 displays significant changes in blood diseases, cancer, nervous system and heart diseases (Tian et al, 2021;Katsuura et al, 2012;Liu et al, 2012). Currently, most miR-144 research focuses on the blood system, but few studies addressing the higher morbidity associated with psychiatric diseases.…”