Effects of electroacupuncture on pain sensation in a rat model of hyperalgesia with nicotine dependence  

作　　者：Shu-Ju Wang Yan-Ping Zhang Keith A.Candiotti 

机构地区：[1]College of Acupuncture and Orthopedics,Hubei University of Chinese Medicine/Hubei Provincial Collaborative Innovation Center of Preventive Treatment by Acupuncture and Moxibustion,Wuhan,Hubei Province,China [2]Department of Anesthesiology,Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management,University of Miami Miller School of Medicine,Miami,FL,USA

出　　处：《Neural Regeneration Research》2022年第4期905-910,共6页中国神经再生研究（英文版）

基　　金：supported by a grant from Department of Anesthesiology,Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management,University of Miami Miller School of Medicine,USA。

摘　　要：Tobacco smoking is considered to be one of the main risk factors in the development of chronic pain.Long-term chronic exposure to nicotine and other forms of tobacco have been shown to be associated with an increased incidence of pain.Studies have shown that acupuncture can help smokers to reduce their desire to smoke,reduce their withdrawal symptoms,and avoid a relapse after treatment.However,little has been reported about the effects of acupuncture on pain sensitivity caused by long-term smoking.Models of hyperalgesia were established in rats exposed to nicotine for 6 weeks.After 6 weeks of continuous nicotine exposure,electroacupuncture at bilateral acupoints Zusanli(ST36)and Taichong(LR3)was performed 20 minutes per day for 6 days at a continuous wave with a frequency of 2 Hz and a stimulus intensity of 1 m A.The results revealed that electroacupuncture treatment increased the mechanical response threshold of hind paw of nicotine-dependent rats with hyperalgesia and up-regulated the protein expression of pain-related factorsμ-opioid receptor,β-endorphin and glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 in the spinal cord and midbrain periaqueductal gray and the protein expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 in the spinal cord.These findings suggest that electroacupuncture treatment has positive analgesic effects on pain sensitivity caused by long-term chronic nicotine exposure.One possible mechanism for the improved analgesia is that electroacupuncture increases the expression of painrelated factors in the spinal cord and midbrain periaqueductal gray.This study was approved by Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee(IACUC)of the University of Miami(#18-167)on December 12,2018.

关 键 词：chronic pain ELECTROACUPUNCTURE glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 HYPERALGESIA nicotine dependence pain sensation SMOKING Β-ENDORPHIN μ-opioid receptor 

分 类 号：R245.97[医药卫生—针灸推拿学]