title: Inhibitory Effects of Scolopendra Pharmacopuncture on the Development and Maintenance of Neuropathic Pain in Rats: Possible Involvement of Spinal Glial Cells.
abstract: Scolopendra extracts were used for pharmacopuncture at the Kidney 1 acupoint to investigate the role of Scolopendra pharmacopuncture (SPP) in both the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain induced by L5 spinal nerve ligation in rats and the contribution of spinal glial cells. A single treatment and five once-daily treatments with SPP were given to evaluate its effects on the development and maintenance stages of neuropathic pain, respectively, which was followed by behavioral tests. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting tests were also carried out. A single treatment of SPP delayed spinal nerve ligation-induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia and induced a profound decrease in the expression of ionized calcium binding adaptor protein in the lumbar spinal cord. Repeated SPP treatments reliably suppressed mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia at later time points, and these results correlated mainly with decreases in glial fibrillary acidic protein. Intriguingly, ionized calcium binding adaptor protein expression was also reduced after repeated SPP. These results illustrate that neuropathic pain in the development and maintenance stages is alleviated by SPP treatment, which may be ascribed principally to deactivations of microglia and astroglia, respectively. Additionally, microglial inactivation seems to be partially involved in preventing neuropathic pain in the maintenance stage.
authors.affiliation: Division of Meridian and Structural Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chengjin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Division of Meridian and Structural Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Byeong Uk
authors.initials: BU
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Division of Meridian and Structural Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Meridian and Structural Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Min Young
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Gwang-Ju Oriental Medical Hospital in Wonkwang University, Gwang-Ju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sungchul
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Meridian and Structural Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Tae
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Meridian and Structural Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: stkoo@pusan.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Sungtae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koo
mesh_terms: D015667:Acupuncture Analgesia / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077743:Diterpene Alkaloids; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000628:therapy*; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013127:Spinal Nerves / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000077743:Diterpene Alkaloids; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; C574917:scolopendra alkaloids
keywords: Scolopendra pharmacopuncture; astrocyte; development; maintenance; microglia; neuropathic pain