title: Electroacupuncture suppresses spinal expression of neurokinin-1 receptors induced by persistent inflammation in rats.
abstract: It has been demonstrated that electroacupuncture (EA) significantly suppresses behavioral hyperalgesia in a rat model of persistent inflammatory pain and that neurokinin-1 (NK-1)/substance P (SP) receptors play important roles in nociception and hyperalgesia at the spinal cord level. The present study investigated spinal NK-1 receptor involvement in EA-produced suppression of hyperalgesia in a rat model of persistent inflammatory pain. The results showed that hind paw inflammation induced a significant increase of NK-1 receptor expression in the spinal dorsal horn and that this effect was significantly suppressed by EA. This suggests that EA-induced suppression of hyperalgesia is involved, at least partly, in the suppression of the spinal NK-1 receptors induced by sustained peripheral nociceptive input.
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, 3rd Floor, James Kernan Hospital, 2200 Kernan Drive, Baltimore, MD 21207, USA. Rzhan001@umaryland.edu
authors.forename: Rui-Xin
authors.initials: RX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jian-Tian
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.forename: Linbo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Brian M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.forename: Lixing
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015536:Down-Regulation; D015671:Electroacupuncture / Q000379:methods*; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018040:Receptors, Neurokinin-1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018040:Receptors, Neurokinin-1; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant