Effect of diazepam on electroacupuncture-induced changes in regional gamma-aminobutyric acid of the rat central nervous system

Analgesic efficacy of laser acupuncture and electroacupuncture in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of laser acupuncture and electroacupuncture on postoperative pain and analgesic requirements in cats. In a prospective, randomized and blinded clinical study, thirty cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy were sedated with intramuscular (IM) ketamine (5 mg/kg), midazolam (0.5 mg/kg), and tramadol (2 mg/ kg). Before the induction of anesthesia, the animals were randomly distributed into three groups of ten cats each: LA: bilateral Stomach 36 (ST-36) and Spleen 6 (SP-6) acupoints were stimulated with an infrared laser; EA: bilateral ST-36 and SP-6 acupoints were stimulated with an electrical stimulus; Control: no acupuncture was applied. Postoperative analgesia was evaluated in the first 24 hr post-extubation using the Interactive Visual Analogue Scale and UNESP-Botucatu Multidimensional Composite Pain Scale. Rescue analgesia was provided with IM tramadol (2 mg/kg), and the pain scores were reassessed 30 min after the rescue intervention. If the analgesia remained insufficient, meloxicam (0.2 mg/kg IM, single dose) was administered. Data were analyzed using t-tests, the Mann-Whitney U test, and Friedman test. P<0.05 was considered significant. The pain scores did not significantly differ between the treatment groups at any time point (P>0.05). The prevalence of rescue analgesia was significantly higher in the Control group than in the LA and EA groups (P=0.033). Preoperative laser and electroacupuncture reduced the need for rescue analgesia during the first 24 hr after ovariohysterectomy.

The endocannabinoid system, a novel and key participant in acupuncture's multiple beneficial effects

Acupuncture and its modified forms have been used to treat multiple medical conditions, but whether the diverse effects of acupuncture are intrinsically linked at the cellular and molecular level and how they might be connected have yet to be determined. Recently, an emerging role for the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in the regulation of a variety of physiological/pathological conditions has been identified. Overlap between the biological and therapeutic effects induced by ECS activation and acupuncture has facilitated investigations into the participation of ECS in the acupuncture-induced beneficial effects, which have shed light on the idea that the ECS may be a primary mediator and regulatory factor of acupuncture's beneficial effects. This review seeks to provide a comprehensive summary of the existing literature concerning the role of endocannabinoid signaling in the various effects of acupuncture, and suggests a novel notion that acupuncture may restore homeostasis under different pathological conditions by regulating similar networks of signaling pathways, resulting in the activation of different reaction cascades in specific tissues in response to pathological insults.

Opioidergic orofacial antinociception induced by electroacupuncture at acupoint St36

The participation of opioids in the antinociceptive effect of electroacupuncture was evaluated in terms of nociception produced by thermal stimuli applied to the face of male Wistar rats, weighing 180-230 g. Electrical stimulation (bipolar and asymmetric square wave with 0.5 mA intensity for 20 min) of acupoint St36, located in the anterior tibial muscle 10 mm distal to the knee joint, induced antinociception in the present model, which was maintained for 150 min. Acupoint LI4, located in the junction of the first and second metacarpal bones, did not achieve antinociception at any frequency studied (5 Hz: 1.7 +/- 0.1; 30 Hz: 1.8 +/- 0.1; 100 Hz: 1.7 +/- 0.1 vs 1.4 +/- 0.2). The antinociception obtained by stimulation of acupoint St36 was only achieved when high frequency 100 Hz (3.0 +/- 0.2 vs 1.0 +/- 0.1) was used, and not with 5 or 30 Hz (1.2 +/- 0.2 and 0.7 +/- 0.1 vs 1.0 +/- 0.1). The antinociceptive effect of acupuncture occurred by opioid pathway activation, since naloxone (1 and 2 mg/kg, subcutaneously) antagonized it (1.8 +/- 0.2 and 1.7 +/- 0.2 vs 3.0 +/- 0.1).

Traditional and Evidence‐Based Acupuncture in Headache Management: Theory, Mechanism, and Practice

Acupuncture, traditional Chinese needle therapy, has become widely used for the relief of headache. The history of the practice of acupuncture in the United States and the theoretical framework for acupuncture in Chinese medicine are reviewed. The basic scientific background and clinical application of acupuncture in the headache management are discussed.

Effects of diazepam on nociception in rats

Acute i.p. injection of diazepam (1 mg/kg) resulted in a moderate increase in the tail-flick latency in rats. Tolerance to this diazepam effect developed after 10 days of diazepam treatment (1 mg kg-1 day-1). The benzodiazepine antagonist Ro 15-3505 only partially reversed the effect of diazepam on nociception. Naloxone (5 mg/kg i.p.) failed to affect the effect of diazepam on nociception, while the kappa antagonist MR 2266 fully antagonized the diazepam-induced increase of the tail-flick latency. Diazepam injected intracerebroventricularly (1, 5, 20 micrograms/rat) did not alter basal nociceptive threshold, however, diazepam injected intrathecally (20 micrograms/rat) prolonged the tail-flick latency. Furthermore, intracerebroventricular injection of muscimol partially antagonized the i.p. diazepam-induced increase of the tail-flick latency. These results suggest that benzodiazepine receptor sites are partially involved in the effect of diazepam on nociception and indicate that an indirect kappa-opioid-receptor-mediated mechanism may be involved. The anatomical site of diazepam action on tail-flick latency seems to be at the spinal level. Descending axons to the spinal cord from brain areas reached by intracerebroventricular injection of muscimol seem to modulate the effect of diazepam effect on nociception.