Activation of Subcutaneous Mast Cells in Acupuncture Points Triggers Analgesia
Li-Na Wang,
Xue-Zhi Wang,
Yu-Jia Li,
Bing-Rong Li,
Meng Huang,
Xiao-Yu Wang,
Ryszard Grygorczyk,
Guang-Hong Ding,
Wolfgang Schwarz
Affiliations
Li-Na Wang
School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Xue-Zhi Wang
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Acupuncture Mechanism and Acupoint Function, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
Yu-Jia Li
School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Bing-Rong Li
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Acupuncture Mechanism and Acupoint Function, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
Meng Huang
Shanghai Research Center for Acupuncture and Meridians, Shanghai 201203, China
Xiao-Yu Wang
Laboratory of Immunology and Virology, Experimental Center for Science and Technology, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Ryszard Grygorczyk
Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
Guang-Hong Ding
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Acupuncture Mechanism and Acupoint Function, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
Wolfgang Schwarz
Institute for Biophysics, Department of Physics, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue St. 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
This review summarizes experimental evidence indicating that subcutaneous mast cells are involved in the trigger mechanism of analgesia induced by acupuncture, a traditional oriental therapy, which has gradually become accepted worldwide. The results are essentially based on work from our laboratories. Skin mast cells are present at a high density in acupuncture points where fine needles are inserted and manipulated during acupuncture intervention. Mast cells are sensitive to mechanical stimulation because they express multiple types of mechanosensitive channels, including TRPV1, TRPV2, TRPV4, receptors and chloride channels. Acupuncture manipulation generates force and torque that indirectly activate the mast cells via the collagen network. Subsequently, various mediators, for example, histamine, serotonin, adenosine triphosphate and adenosine, are released from activated mast cells to the interstitial space; they or their downstream products activate the corresponding receptors situated at local nerve terminals of sensory neurons in peripheral ganglia. The analgesic effects are thought to be generated via the reduced electrical activities of the primary sensory neurons. Alternatively, these neurons project such signals to pain-relevant regions in spinal cord and/or higher centers of the brain.
