Acupuncture in Medicine最新文献

Objective: To explore the analgesic effects of electroacupuncture (EA) and its impact on the EphBs-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and microglia in a rat model of neuropathic pain (NP).

Methods: Following adaptive training, 60 male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were allocated to one of two experiments. In experiment 1, rats received intrathecal SB203580 (p38 MAPK inhibitor), intramuscular EphB1-Fc (EphBs inhibitor) or no injection before undergoing chronic constrictive injury (CCI). In experiment 2, CCI model rats received EA either alone or combined with either anisomycin (p38 MAPK agonist) or EphrinB1-Fc (EphBs agonist) versus minimal acupuncture (MA) as a control intervention. A sham surgery group was included in both experiments as a control for CCI. All groups consisted of n = 6 rats (four in experiment 1 and six in experiment 2). Behavioral hyperalgesia was examined and the spinal L5-6 region was harvested and subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to assess tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-1β levels. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to assess protein expression of B-cell lymphoma (Bcl)-2, Bcl-2 associated X-protein (BAX), EphB1, EphrinB1, p38 MAPK, phosphorylated (p)-p38 MAPK and ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule (Iba)-1.

Results: CCI induced behavioral hyperalgesia, as demonstrated by altered paw withdrawal latency (PWL), paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and cytokine levels, and increased p38 MAPK phosphorylation and microglial activation. However, inhibitors SB203580 and EphB1-Fc reversed these effects. Notably, EA showed similar beneficial effects, but these were counteracted when combined with anisomycin and EphrinB1-Fc.

Conclusions: The analgesic effects of EA in this rat model of NP appear to be linked to diminished p-p38 MAPK expression and subsequent microglial deactivation. EA has a potential role as a complementary therapy for NP.

Objective: Incisional pain, which is the most commonly observed postoperative complication, is closely related to the release of inflammatory mediators and cytokines. Although electroacupuncture (EA) has been demonstrated to reduce incisional pain, its analgesic mechanisms remain unclear. We aimed to investigate whether EA alleviates incisional pain in rats by regulating the expression of interleukin (IL)-6 and procalcitonin (PCT) in the astrocytes and neurons of the spinal cord dorsal horn.

Methods: Forty-six healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were included, of which n = 8 were assigned to the control group. The remaining 38 rats were used to establish the incisional pain model. Finally, 32 successfully modeled rats were obtained and randomly divided into model, sham EA, 2 Hz and 20/100 Hz EA groups. Mechanical pain withdrawal threshold (MPWT) was measured before modeling, 6 h after modeling, and 3 days after EA intervention. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to detect IL-6 and PCT protein and mRNA expression, as well as their co-expression with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP, a marker of astrocytes) and NeUN (a marker of neurons) in the spinal dorsal horn of rats in each group after 3 days of EA intervention.

Results: Reduced IL-6 and PCT levels in the astrocytes and neurons were observed in the spinal dorsal horn of the incisional pain model after EA intervention, and incisional pain was also significantly relieved.

Conclusion: Both 2 Hz and 20/100 Hz EA appear to relieve incisional pain in rats and these effects may be related to inhibition of IL-6 and PCT expression in the spinal dorsal horn.

Objective: To investigate the effects of manual acupuncture (MA) on the signal transduction and activator of transcription (STAT)3 - matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 pathway in a guinea pig model of lens-induced myopia (LIM).

Methods: A total of 36 male pigmented guinea pigs (aged 2 weeks) were randomly assigned to the normal control (NC) (n = 12), LIM (n = 12) and LIM + MA (n = 12) groups. The NC group received no intervention. To create myopia, the right eyes of the LIM and LIM + MA groups were covered with -6.00 D lenses. The LIM + MA group received 30 min of acupuncture stimulation daily at Taiyang and LI4. The effect of LIM modelling and MA on ocular measurements, expression of STAT3, phosphorylated (p)-STAT3, MMP-2 and tissue inhibitor of MMP-2 (TIMP)-2 expression (as well as histopathology, morphology and immunohistochemistry of the guinea pigs' eyes) were evaluated.

Results: Compared with the NC group, the LIM group showed increased expression of STAT3, p-STAT3 and MMP-2, and decreased expression of TIMP-2, as well as an increase in ocular measurements. The eye tissue morphology was disrupted and fibres became thinner in the LIM group. Compared to the LIM group, the LIM + MA group exhibited a noteworthy decline in the expression of STAT3, p-STAT3 and MMP-2, a significant increase in TIMP-2, and a decrease in ocular measurements and tissue morphology, which were similar to that of the NC group.

Conclusion: Acupuncture has the potential to decrease STAT3 activation and block the STAT3-MMP-2 pathway in the ocular tissue of guinea pigs with experimental LIM, thereby delaying the development of myopia.

Objective: Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) is a subtype of IBS. Many patients are dissatisfied with the efficacy of drug treatment and seek complementary and alternative medical therapies, especially acupuncture treatment. In this study, we evaluated the effect of manual acupuncture (MA) on IBS-D using a rat model and investigated the underlying mechanism of action by analyzing the changes in untargeted metabolomics of plasma/liver/colon and targeted plasma lipidomics.

Methods: Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into Control, IBS-D and MA groups (n = 10 each). IBS-D/MA groups received acetic acid enemas combined with restraint stress. The Control group received saline enemas. The MA group received daily MA at ST36 for 2 weeks after modeling. Pain and stool quality were measured by the abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) and Bristol stool form scale (BSFS). Plasma/liver/colon samples were collected for ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)/Q-Orbitrap mass spectromy (MS) untargeted metabolomics. Plasma was also subjected to UHPLC-MS/MS targeted lipidomics.

Results: MA treatment improved BSFS and AWR scores in IBS-D model rats, suggesting reduced intestinal hypersensitivity. Metabolomic results showed that MA impacted 18 metabolites in the plasma, liver and colon, which were mainly involved in arachidonic acid metabolism, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, and amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism. Targeted lipidomic results showed MA restored the low levels of four medium-chain and one long-chain fatty acids to normal levels in IBS-D, suggesting that acupuncture treatment of IBS-D involves fatty acid metabolic pathways.

Conclusion: MA reduced markers of intestinal hypersensitivity and impacted a number of metabolic pathways in a rat model of IBS-D.

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common compressive neuropathy and is associated with significant strain on both patients and healthcare systems. Acupuncture is one of the conservative treatments used for this syndrome, although more evidence is needed regarding the efficacy of this intervention. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) in patients with CTS through clinical, electrophysiological and ultrasonographical assessments.

Methods: Seventeen wrists, belonging to a total of 12 patients who had been diagnosed with CTS, were included. Eight EA sessions were performed (twice a week for 4 weeks). The visual analogue scale (VAS), symptom severity scale (SSS) and functional status scale (FSS) of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) were administered, median nerve conduction studies were performed and the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve was measured by ultrasound. These evaluations were made at baseline and 3-7 days after the last treatment.

Results: Following EA, there was a decrease in pain on the VAS scale with a median difference (MD) of -2.45 (p < 0.001), a decrease in the severity of symptoms on the SSS scale (MD -0.60; p = 0.001) and an improvement in the function of the limb on the FSS scale (MD -0.25; p = 0.02). Furthermore, there was a reduction in the CSA of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel inlet (MD -2.00 mm²; p = 0.003). No differences in any median nerve conduction study parameters were found. Side effects (observed in 8% of treatments) were all minimal and self-limiting.

Conclusion: Although no firm conclusions can be drawn from this uncontrolled clinical trial, EA appears to be a promising treatment for CTS patients, and herein was associated with an improvement in symptoms and morphological changes in the median nerve.

Trial registration number: NCT04603274 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

Introduction: Dysphagia is a common complication after stroke and can negatively affect patients' quality of life. Despite electroacupuncture (EA) being widely used to treat dysphagia, its effectiveness and underlying mechanism of action have not been thoroughly examined. The aim of this study was to gather preliminary data on the efficacy of EA when used as an adjunct to a standardized but individually adjusted rehabilitation program for patients with post-stroke oropharyngeal dysphagia (PSOD) and to compare EA with adjunctive neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES).

Methods: Forty-five patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to EA, NMES or control groups. All groups received traditional rehabilitation training for dysphagia. The EA and NMES group additionally received EA at bilateral Jialianquan and NMES of the suprahyoid muscle group, respectively. Before and 3 weeks after treatment, the swallowing function of the patients was assessed by surface electromyography (sEMG), videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS), standardized swallowing assessment (SSA) and water swallow test (primary outcomes). Post hoc secondary outcome measures included the functional oral intake scale (FOIS), penetration-aspiration scale (PAS) and deglutition duration.

Results: All outcome measures improved within each group. When compared to the control group, greater improvements were seen in the EA group for SSA, FOIS, modified barium swallow impairment profile (MBSImp) and PAS scores, as well as several different sEMG parameters (average EMG (AEMG), peak amplitude and deglutition duration for both saliva and water) in PSOD patients. Only deglutition duration for water and saliva was significantly improved in NMES versus control groups. EA was superior to NMES only with respect to the AEMG for water and saliva.

Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence demonstrating that PSOD patients may benefit from EA at bilateral Jialianquan. Relative to a control group receiving traditional rehabilitation alone, the addition of EA was associated with improvements in a range of different outcome measures in PSOD patients, with medium to large effect sizes.Trial registration number: ChiCTR2200058198 (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry).

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on macrophage polarization and bone erosion in a mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA).

Methods: C57BL/B6 mice were used to establish a CIA model and were treated with electroacupuncture (EA) at ST36 and SP6. At the end of the experiment, knee joints were harvested for hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining to detect knee synovitis. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to assess the expression of macrophage markers. The degree of bone destruction was evaluated using micro-computed tomography (CT), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining and safranin-O fast green staining. Peripheral blood transcriptome sequencing was performed using Illumina high-throughput sequencing. Synovial membrane proteins were quantitatively analyzed by mass spectrometry. Differentially expressed genes and proteins were identified and the R software package was used to analyze the data.

Results: Compared with the model group, the arthritis index (P < 0.05) and inflammatory infiltration decreased (P < 0.05), cartilage destruction was inhibited (P < 0.01), the number of osteoclasts decreased (P < 0.05), knee bone erosion was alleviated and the M1/M2 macrophage ratio decreased (P < 0.01) in the EA group. The results of bioinformatics analysis showed that the differential genes between the EA and model groups were mainly enriched in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway. Differentially expressed proteins were mostly enriched in the toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling and autophagy pathways.

Conclusions: EA prevents bone erosion, reduces the M1/M2 macrophage ratio in synovial tissue, inhibits the TLR and autophagy pathways and reduces synovial invasion in a mouse model of CIA.