title: Probing the Effects and Mechanisms of Electroacupuncture at Ipsilateral or Contralateral ST36-ST37 Acupoints on CFA-induced Inflammatory Pain.
abstract: Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and associated signaling pathways have been reported to be increased in inflammatory pain signaling. There are accumulating evidences surrounding the therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture (EA). EA can reliably attenuate the increase of TRPV1 in mouse inflammatory pain models with unclear signaling mechanisms. Moreover, the difference in the clinical therapeutic effects between using the contralateral and ipsilateral acupoints has been rarely studied. We found that inflammatory pain, which was induced by injecting the complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), (2.14 ± 0.1, p < 0.05, n = 8) can be alleviated after EA treatment at either ipsilateral (3.91 ± 0.21, p < 0.05, n = 8) or contralateral acupoints (3.79 ± 0.25, p < 0.05, n = 8). EA may also reduce nociceptive Nav sodium currents in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. The expression of TRPV1 and associated signaling pathways notably increased after the CFA injection; this expression can be further attenuated significantly in EA treatment. TRPV1 and associated signaling pathways can be prevented in TRPV1 knockout mice, suggesting that TRPV1 knockout mice are resistant to inflammatory pain. Through this study, we have increased the understanding of the mechanism that both ipsilateral and contralateral EA might alter TRPV1 and associated signaling pathways to reduce inflammatory pain.
authors.affiliation: College of Chinese Medicine, School of Post-Baccalaureate Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.|China Medical University Hospital, Department of Chinese Medicine, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kung-Wen
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: College of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.|Taichung Armed forces General Hospital, Department of Orthopedics, Taichung 41152, Taiwan.|National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chao-Kuei
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: China Medical University Hospital, Department of Chinese Medicine, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.|College of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Integrative Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Liang
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.affiliation: China Medical University Hospital, Department of Chinese Medicine, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: College of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.|Research Center for Chinese Medicine &Acupuncture, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Wen
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015671:Electroacupuncture / Q000379:methods*; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D007249:Inflammation / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D062550:NAV1.1 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D010146:Pain / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D066148:Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn / Q000378:metabolism; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D061566:Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D062550:NAV1.1 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels; C493921:TRPV1 protein, mouse; D061566:Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels; D005620:Freund's Adjuvant