Electroacupuncture Reduces the Effects of Acute Noxious Stimulation on the Electrical Activity of Pain-Related Neurons in the Hippocampus of Control and Neuropathic Pain Rats

Jun-Ying Wang; Renbo Chen; Shu-Ping Chen; Yong-Hui Gao; Jian-Liang Zhang; Xiu-Mei Feng; Yaxia Yan; Jun-Ling Liu; Ingrid Gaischek; Daniela Litscher; Lu Wang; Irmgard Th. Lippe; Gerhard Litscher

doi:10.1155/2016/6521026

Neural Plasticity (Jan 2016)

Electroacupuncture Reduces the Effects of Acute Noxious Stimulation on the Electrical Activity of Pain-Related Neurons in the Hippocampus of Control and Neuropathic Pain Rats

Jun-Ying Wang,
Renbo Chen,
Shu-Ping Chen,
Yong-Hui Gao,
Jian-Liang Zhang,
Xiu-Mei Feng,
Yaxia Yan,
Jun-Ling Liu,
Ingrid Gaischek,
Daniela Litscher,
Lu Wang,
Irmgard Th. Lippe,
Gerhard Litscher

Affiliations

Jun-Ying Wang: Department of Physiology, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
Renbo Chen: Department of Chronic Diseases, Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
Shu-Ping Chen: Department of Physiology, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
Yong-Hui Gao: Department of Physiology, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
Jian-Liang Zhang: Department of Physiology, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
Xiu-Mei Feng: Department of Physiology, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
Yaxia Yan: Department of Physiology, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
Jun-Ling Liu: Department of Physiology, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
Ingrid Gaischek: Research Unit for Complementary and Integrative Laser Medicine, Research Unit of Biomedical Engineering in Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, and TCM Research Center Graz, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria
Daniela Litscher: Research Unit for Complementary and Integrative Laser Medicine, Research Unit of Biomedical Engineering in Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, and TCM Research Center Graz, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria
Lu Wang: Research Unit for Complementary and Integrative Laser Medicine, Research Unit of Biomedical Engineering in Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, and TCM Research Center Graz, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria
Irmgard Th. Lippe: Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria
Gerhard Litscher: Department of Physiology, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/6521026
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 2016

Abstract

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To study the effects of acupuncture analgesia on the hippocampus, we observed the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) inhibitor on pain-excited neurons (PENs) and pain-inhibited neurons (PINs) in the hippocampal area CA1 of sham or chronic constrictive injury (CCI) rats. The animals were randomly divided into a control, a CCI, and a U0126 (MEK1/2 inhibitor) group. In all experiments, we briefly (10-second duration) stimulated the sciatic nerve electrically and recorded the firing rates of PENs and PINs. The results showed that in both sham and CCI rats brief sciatic nerve stimulation significantly increased the electrical activity of PENs and markedly decreased the electrical activity of PINs. These effects were significantly greater in CCI rats compared to sham rats. EA treatment reduced the effects of the noxious stimulus on PENs and PINs in both sham and CCI rats. The effects of EA treatment could be inhibited by U0126 in sham-operated rats. The results suggest that EA reduces effects of acute sciatic nerve stimulation on PENs and PINs in the CA1 region of the hippocampus of both sham and CCI rats and that the ERK (extracellular regulated kinase) signaling pathway is involved in the modulation of EA analgesia.

Published in Neural Plasticity

ISSN: 2090-5904 (Print); 1687-5443 (Online)
Publisher: Wiley
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Website: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/6020

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