Acupuncture (AP) is an important constituent of the therapeutic repertoire of traditional
Chinese medicine and has been widely used to alleviate chronic painful conditions all over
the world. We studied in rats the efficiency of electroacupuncture (EAP) applied to the
Zusanli acupoint (ST36) as an analgesic treatment over a 3-week period of time on purine
(α,β-methylene ATP, dibenzoyl-ATP)- and acid (pH 6.0 medium)-induced pain in the rat
paw. The two ATP derivatives stimulated P2X3 and P2X7 receptors, respectively, while the
slightly acidic medium stimulated the “acid-sensitive ion channel 3” (ASIC3). It was found
that the P2X7 receptor and ASIC-mediated pain was counteracted by EAP with greater
efficiency at the end than at the beginning of the treatment schedule, while the P2X3
receptor–mediated pain was not. Our findings have important clinical and theoretical
consequences, among others, because they are difficult to reconcile with the assumption
that AP is primarily due to the release of peripheral and central opioid peptides causing the
well-known tolerance to their effects. In consequence, AP is a convenient therapeutic
instrument to treat subacute and chronic pain.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:84408 |
| Date | 30 March 2023 |
| Creators | Li, Jie, Zhang, Ying, Illes, Peter, Tang, Yong, Rubini, Patrizia |
| Publisher | Frontiers Research Foundation |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | 1663-9812, 680198 |
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