title: Electroacupuncture attenuates neuropathic pain after brachial plexus injury.
abstract: Electroacupuncture has traditionally been used to treat pain, but its effect on pain following brachial plexus injury is still unknown. In this study, rat models of an avulsion injury to the left brachial plexus root (associated with upper-limb chronic neuropathic pain) were given electroacupuncture stimulation at bilateral Quchi (LI11), Hegu (LI04), Zusanli (ST36) and Yanglingquan (GB34). After electroacupuncture therapy, chronic neuropathic pain in the rats' upper limbs was significantly attenuated. Immunofluorescence staining showed that the expression of β-endorphins in the arcuate nucleus was significantly increased after therapy. Thus, experimental findings indicate that electroacupuncture can attenuate neuropathic pain after brachial plexus injury through upregulating β-endorphin expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University; Key Laboratory of Hand Reconstruction, Ministry of Health; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Peripheral Nerve and Microsurgery, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Shenyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Hailiang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University; Key Laboratory of Hand Reconstruction, Ministry of Health; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Peripheral Nerve and Microsurgery, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Junming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University; Key Laboratory of Hand Reconstruction, Ministry of Health; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Peripheral Nerve and Microsurgery, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yudong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gu
keywords: brachial plexus avulsion; brachial plexus injury; chronic neuropathic pain; electroacupuncture; nerve regeneration; neural regeneration; neuropathic pain; peripheral nerve injury; β-endorphin