1
|
Baek IS, Choi S, Yoon H, Chung G, Kim SK. Analgesic Effect of Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Oxaliplatin-induced Peripheral Neuropathic Pain in a Rodent Model. Exp Neurobiol 2024; 33:129-139. [PMID: 38993080 PMCID: PMC11247280 DOI: 10.5607/en24012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer chemotherapy often triggers peripheral neuropathy in patients, leading to neuropathic pain in the extremities. While previous research has explored various nerve stimulation to alleviate chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), evidence on the effectiveness of noninvasive auricular vagus nerve stimulation (aVNS) remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of non-invasive aVNS in relieving CIPN pain. To induce CIPN in experimental animals, oxaliplatin was intraperitoneally administered to rats (6 mg/kg). Mechanical and cold allodynia, the representative symptoms of neuropathic pain, were evaluated using the von Frey test and acetone test, respectively. The CIPN animals were randomly assigned to groups and treated with aVNS (5 V, square wave) at different frequencies (2, 20, or 100 Hz) for 20 minutes. Results revealed that 20 Hz aVNS exhibited the most pronounced analgesic effect, while 2 or 100 Hz aVNS exhibited weak effects. Immunohistochemistry analysis demonstrated increased c-Fos expression in the locus coeruleus (LC) in the brain of CIPN rats treated with aVNS compared to sham treatment. To elucidate the analgesic mechanisms involving the adrenergic descending pathway, α1-, α2-, or β-adrenergic receptor antagonists were administered to the spinal cord before 20 Hz aVNS. Only the β-adrenergic receptor antagonist, propranolol, blocked the analgesic effect of aVNS. These findings suggest that 20 Hz aVNS may effectively alleviate CIPN pain through β-adrenergic receptor activation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- In Seon Baek
- Department of Science in Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea
| | - Seunghwan Choi
- Department of East-West Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea
| | - Heera Yoon
- Division of Preclinical R&D, Neurogrin Inc., Seoul 02447, Korea
| | - Geehoon Chung
- Division of Preclinical R&D, Neurogrin Inc., Seoul 02447, Korea
- Department of Physiology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea
| | - Sun Kwang Kim
- Department of Science in Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea
- Department of East-West Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea
- Department of Physiology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Yang Y, Zhang R, Zhong Z, Li J, Feng Y. Efficacy of transauricular vagus nerve stimulation for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced painful peripheral neuropathy: a randomized controlled exploratory study. Neurol Sci 2024; 45:2289-2300. [PMID: 38063922 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-023-07229-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chemotherapy-induced painful peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common adverse event in cancer patients, and there is still a lack of effective treatment. Transauricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a minimally invasive treatment, but there are few reports regarding its efficacy for CIPN. OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy and possible mechanism of taVNS in patients with CIPN. METHODS Twenty-seven patients with CIPN were randomly divided into a taVNS group (n = 14) and a sham stimulation (SS) group (n = 13). A numerical rating scale (NRS) for pain, NCICTCAE 4.0 (neurotoxicity classification), quantitative sensory test (QST), Short-Form-Health Survey-12 (SF-12), and Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) were administered before the intervention (D-10) and on the day after the intervention (D0), and the inflammatory cytokines in plasma were also measured. The NRS, NCI-CTCAE 4.0, SF-12, and AIS were administered again at D30 and D90. RESULTS Compared with the SS group, the NRS and AIS in the taVNS group were significantly lower at D0. The impact lasted until D30. There were no statistically significant differences in the NRS and AIS between the 2 groups at D90. On D30, the mental component score of the SF-12 was significantly higher in the taVNS group than in the SS group. No adverse events were found. There was no significant difference in QST and plasma inflammatory cytokines between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION taVNS can relieve chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain in the short term, can improve sleep status and quality of life, and is expected to become a novel clinical treatment method for CIPN.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Yang
- Department of Pain Medicine, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Ran Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhifang Zhong
- Department of Pain Medicine, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Pain Medicine, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yi Feng
- Department of Pain Medicine, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Bacalhau C, Costa-Pereira JT, Tavares I. Preclinical research in paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain: a systematic review. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1264668. [PMID: 38188718 PMCID: PMC10766764 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1264668] [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: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common consequence of cancer treatment and pain is a frequent complaint of the patients. Paclitaxel, a cytostatic drug, generates a well-described peripheral nerve injury and neuroinflammation, which may be experimentally mimicked in animal models. We conducted a systematic review analyzing the experimental design, reporting and mechanisms underlying paclitaxel-induced neuropathy in the included studies to establish the perspectives of translation of the current literature in models of CIPN. Methods We elected studies published in Pubmed and Scopus between 1 January 2018 and 3 December 2022. Results According to a defined mesh of keywords searched, and after applying exclusion and inclusion criteria, 70 original studies were included and analyzed in detail. Most studies used male Sprague-Dawley rats to induce paclitaxel-induced neuropathy, used low doses of paclitaxel, and the analyzed studies mainly focused at 14-28 days of CIPN. Mechanical nociceptive tests were preferred in the behavioral evaluation. The mechanisms under study were mainly neuroinflammation of peripheral nerves. The overall methodological quality was considered moderate, and the risk of bias was unclear. Discussion Despite the ample preclinical research in paclitaxel-induced neuropathy, this systematic review alerts to some flaws in the experimental design along with limitations in reporting, e.g., lack of representation of both sexes in experimental work and the lack of reporting of the ARRIVE guidelines. This may limit the reproducibility of preclinical studies in CIPN. In addition, the clinical features of CIPN should be considered when designing animal experiments, such as sex and age of the CIPN patients. In this way the experimental studies aiming to establish the mechanisms of CIPN may allow the development of new drugs to treat CIPN and translation in the research of CIPN could be improved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Bacalhau
- Department of Biomedicine, Unit of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - José Tiago Costa-Pereira
- Department of Biomedicine, Unit of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- I3S-Institute of Investigation and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Isaura Tavares
- Department of Biomedicine, Unit of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- I3S-Institute of Investigation and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Abdullahi A, Wong TWL, Ng SSM. Putative role of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation in cancer pathology and immunotherapy: Can this be a hidden treasure, especially for the elderly? Cancer Med 2023; 12:19081-19090. [PMID: 37587897 PMCID: PMC10557911 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.6466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is globally a disease of significant public health concern owing to its prevalence, and association with morbidity and mortality. Thus, cost-effective treatments for cancer are important to help reduce its significant morbidity and mortality. However, the current therapeutic options for cancer such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery may produce serious adverse events such as nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and peripheral neuropathy, especially in the long term. In addition, these therapeutic options may not be well tolerated by the elderly especially those who are frail. The current article is aimed at discussing an alternative therapeutic option, non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), and the roles it plays in cancer pathology and immunotherapy. The VNS does this by reducing oxidative stress via silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1); inhibiting inflammation via both hypothalamic-pituitary-axis (HPA) and the release of corticosteroid from the adrenal gland, and cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP), and increasing vagal activity which helps in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and metabolism, and increase chance of survival. Furthermore, it helps with reducing complications due to cancer or its treatments such as postoperative ileus and severity of peripheral neuropathy induced by chemotherapy, and improves cancer-related fatigue, lymphopenia, and quality of life. These suggest that the importance of non-invasive VNS in cancer pathology and immunotherapy cannot be overemphasized. Therefore, considering the safety of non-invasive VNS and its cost-effectiveness, it is a therapeutic option worth trying for these patients, especially in combination with other therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Auwal Abdullahi
- Department of Rehabilitation SciencesThe Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityKowloonHong Kong Special Administrative RegionChina
| | - Thomson W. L. Wong
- Department of Rehabilitation SciencesThe Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityKowloonHong Kong Special Administrative RegionChina
| | - Shamay S. M. Ng
- Department of Rehabilitation SciencesThe Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityKowloonHong Kong Special Administrative RegionChina
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Fang YT, Lin YT, Tseng WL, Tseng P, Hua GL, Chao YJ, Wu YJ. Neuroimmunomodulation of vagus nerve stimulation and the therapeutic implications. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1173987. [PMID: 37484689 PMCID: PMC10358778 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1173987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a technology that provides electrical stimulation to the cervical vagus nerve and can be applied in the treatment of a wide variety of neuropsychiatric and systemic diseases. VNS exerts its effect by stimulating vagal afferent and efferent fibers, which project upward to the brainstem nuclei and the relayed circuits and downward to the internal organs to influence the autonomic, neuroendocrine, and neuroimmunology systems. The neuroimmunomodulation effect of VNS is mediated through the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway that regulates immune cells and decreases pro-inflammatory cytokines. Traditional and non-invasive VNS have Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved indications for patients with drug-refractory epilepsy, treatment-refractory major depressive disorders, and headaches. The number of clinical trials and translational studies that explore the therapeutic potentials and mechanisms of VNS is increasing. In this review, we first introduced the anatomical and physiological bases of the vagus nerve and the immunomodulating functions of VNS. We covered studies that investigated the mechanisms of VNS and its therapeutic implications for a spectrum of brain disorders and systemic diseases in the context of neuroimmunomodulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ting Fang
- Department of Neurology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Ye-Ting Lin
- Department of Surgery, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Wu-Lung Tseng
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Philip Tseng
- Cross College Elite Program, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Research Center for Mind, Brain and Learning, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Gia-Linh Hua
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Jui Chao
- Department of Surgery, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Jen Wu
- Department of Neurology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|