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Fan Z, Dou B, Wang J, Wu Y, Du S, Li J, Yao K, Li Y, Wang S, Gong Y, Guo Y, Xu Z. Effects and mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia mediated by afferent nerves in acupoint microenvironments. Front Neurosci 2024; 17:1239839. [PMID: 38384495 PMCID: PMC10879281 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1239839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
In the past few decades, the use of acupuncture analgesia in clinical practice has increased worldwide. This is due to its various benefits, including natural alleviation of pain without causing various adverse effects associated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and opioids. The acupoint represents the initial site of acupuncture stimulation, where diverse types of nerve fibers located at the acupoint hold significant roles in the generation and transmission of acupuncture-related information. In this study, we analyzed the patterns and mechanisms of acupuncture analgesic mediated by acupoint afferent fibers, and found that acupuncture stimulates acupoints which rapidly and directly induces activation of high-density primary afferent fibers under the acupoints, including myelinated A fibers and unmyelinated C fibers. During acupuncture stimulation at the muscle layer, the analgesic effects can be induced by stimulation of A fiber threshold intensity. At the skin layer, the analgesic effects can only be produced by stimulation of C fiber threshold intensity. Electroacupuncture (EA) activates A fibers, while manual acupuncture (MA) activates both A and C fibers. Furthermore, acupuncture alters acupoint microenvironments, which positively modulates afferent fibers, enhancing the transmission of analgesic signals. In addition to local activation and conduction at acupoints, nerve fibers mediate the transmission of acupuncture information to pain centers. In the spinal cord, acupuncture activates neurons by inducing afferent fiber depolarization, modulating pain gating, inhibiting long-term potentiation (LTP) of the spinal dorsal horn and wide dynamic range (WDR) neuronal activities. At higher nerve centers, acupuncture inhibits neuronal activation in pain-related brain regions. In summary, acupuncture inhibits pain signal transmission at peripheral and central systems by activating different patterns of afferent fibers located on various layers of acupoints. This study provides ideas for enhancing the precise application and clinical translation of acupuncture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zezhi Fan
- Research Center of Experimental Acupuncture Science, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Baomin Dou
- Research Center of Experimental Acupuncture Science, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Jiangshan Wang
- Research Center of Experimental Acupuncture Science, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Yongjian Wu
- Research Center of Experimental Acupuncture Science, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Simin Du
- Research Center of Experimental Acupuncture Science, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Jiashan Li
- Research Center of Experimental Acupuncture Science, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Kaifang Yao
- Research Center of Experimental Acupuncture Science, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Yanwei Li
- Research Center of Experimental Acupuncture Science, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Shenjun Wang
- Research Center of Experimental Acupuncture Science, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- School of Acupuncture and Moxibustion and Tuina, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine Theory of Innovation and Application, Tianjin, China
| | - Yinan Gong
- Research Center of Experimental Acupuncture Science, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- School of Acupuncture and Moxibustion and Tuina, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine Theory of Innovation and Application, Tianjin, China
| | - Yi Guo
- Research Center of Experimental Acupuncture Science, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine Theory of Innovation and Application, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhifang Xu
- Research Center of Experimental Acupuncture Science, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- School of Acupuncture and Moxibustion and Tuina, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine Theory of Innovation and Application, Tianjin, China
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Zhong S, Liu F, Giniatullin R, Jolkkonen J, Li Y, Zhou Z, Lin X, Liu C, Zhang X, Liu Z, Lv C, Guo Q, Zhao C. Blockade of CCR5 suppresses paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathic pain caused by increased deoxycholic acid. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113386. [PMID: 37948181 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Paclitaxel leads to peripheral neuropathy (paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy [PIPN]) in approximately 50% of cancer patients. At present, there are no effective treatment strategies for PIPN, the mechanisms of which also remain unclear. In this study, we performed microbiome and metabolome analysis of feces and serum from breast cancer patients with different PIPN grades due to paclitaxel treatment. Our analysis reveals that levels of deoxycholic acid (DCA) are highly increased because of ingrowth of Clostridium species, which is associated with severe neuropathy. DCA, in turn, elevates serum level of C-C motif ligand 5 (CCL5) and induces CCL5 receptor 5 (CCR5) overexpression in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) through the bile acid receptor Takeda G-protein-coupled receptor 5 (TGR5), contributing to neuronal hyperexcitability. Consistent with this, administration of CCR5 antagonist maraviroc suppresses the development of neuropathic nociception. These results implicate gut microbiota/bile acids/CCR5 signaling in the induction of PIPN, thus suggesting a target for PIPN treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanshan Zhong
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China; Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Big Data for Neurological Diseases, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Fangxi Liu
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Rashid Giniatullin
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Jukka Jolkkonen
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Yong Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Institution of Medicine Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Zhike Zhou
- Department of Geriatrics, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Xinyu Lin
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Chang Liu
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China; Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Big Data for Neurological Diseases, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Xiuchun Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China; Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Big Data for Neurological Diseases, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Zhouyang Liu
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Cheng Lv
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Qianqian Guo
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Chuansheng Zhao
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China; Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Big Data for Neurological Diseases, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China.
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