Electroacupuncture and Moxibustion-Like Stimulation Relieves Inflammatory Muscle Pain by Activating Local Distinct Layer Somatosensory Afferent Fibers (2025)

“…44 In addition, the underlying mechanisms of the segmental analgesia of acupuncture have been suggested to be associated with the gate control theory. 10,16,45 In this study, pre-EA with low intensity T Aβ inhibited nociceptive discharges of WDR neurons, indicating that anti-nociceptive effects of pre-EA may also be related to the gate control theory. However, the phenomena only occurred when pre-EA with T Aβ was administered at adjacent non-RFs.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

“…Other studies employed single-unit recording of primary afferent fibers or sensory neurons to determine the intensity. 25,45,61 In the present study, to better investigate the inhibitory effects of pre-EA on spinal WDR neurons, it was more reliable to determine the intensities of EA by thresholds of the 3 components of WDR neurons. Moreover, this measurement may reveal the integration of pre-EA and nociceptive signaling in the dorsal horn.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Effect of Pre-Electroacupuncture on Nociceptive Discharges of Spinal Wide Dynamic Range Neurons in Rat

Yu1,

Cao2,

Wang3

et al. 2023

JPR

Self Cite

32

Spinal wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons are well studied in pain models and they play critical roles in regulating nociception. Evidence has started to accumulate that acupuncture produces a good analgesic effect via activating different primary fibers with distinct intensities. The purpose of the present study was to compare the distinct intensities of pre-electroacupuncture (pre-EA) at local muscular receptive fields (RFs), adjacent or contralateral non-RFs regulating the nociceptive discharges of spinal WDR neurons evoked by hypertonic saline (HS). Materials and Methods: Spinal segments of electrophysiological recording were identified by neural tracers applied at the left gastrocnemius muscle. The thresholds of Aβ (T Aβ ), Aδ (T Aδ ) and C (T C ) components of WDR neurons were measured to determine the intensity of pre-EA by extracellular recording. The discharges of WDR neurons induced by distinct intensities of pre-EA and 200 µL HS (6%) injection in left gastrocnemius muscle of rats were observed by extracellular recording.Results:The spinal segments of WDR neurons were confirmed in lumbar (L)5-6 area according to the projective segments of dorsal root ganglion. T Aβ , T Aδ and T C of WDR neurons was determined to be 0.5, 1, and 2 mA, respectively. The pre-EA with intensities of T Aβ (P < 0.05), T Aδ (P < 0.05), T C (P < 0.05) or 2T C (P < 0.01) at ipsilateral adjacent non-RFs significantly reduced the discharges of WDR neurons, while at local RFs only pre-EA of T Aδ (P < 0.05), T C (P < 0.05) and 2T C (P < 0.01) could inhibit the nociceptive discharges. In addition, intensity of pre-EA at contralateral non-RFs should reach at least T C to effectively inhibit the firing rates of WDR neurons (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Pre-EA could suppress nociceptive discharges of WDR neurons and the inhibitory effects were dependent on the distinct intensities and locations of stimulation.

“…44 In addition, the underlying mechanisms of the segmental analgesia of acupuncture have been suggested to be associated with the gate control theory. 10,16,45 In this study, pre-EA with low intensity T Aβ inhibited nociceptive discharges of WDR neurons, indicating that anti-nociceptive effects of pre-EA may also be related to the gate control theory. However, the phenomena only occurred when pre-EA with T Aβ was administered at adjacent non-RFs.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

“…Other studies employed single-unit recording of primary afferent fibers or sensory neurons to determine the intensity. 25,45,61 In the present study, to better investigate the inhibitory effects of pre-EA on spinal WDR neurons, it was more reliable to determine the intensities of EA by thresholds of the 3 components of WDR neurons. Moreover, this measurement may reveal the integration of pre-EA and nociceptive signaling in the dorsal horn.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

The Effect of Pre-Electroacupuncture on Nociceptive Discharges of Spinal Wide Dynamic Range Neurons in Rat

Yu1,

Cao2,

Wang3

et al. 2023

JPR

Self Cite

32

Spinal wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons are well studied in pain models and they play critical roles in regulating nociception. Evidence has started to accumulate that acupuncture produces a good analgesic effect via activating different primary fibers with distinct intensities. The purpose of the present study was to compare the distinct intensities of pre-electroacupuncture (pre-EA) at local muscular receptive fields (RFs), adjacent or contralateral non-RFs regulating the nociceptive discharges of spinal WDR neurons evoked by hypertonic saline (HS). Materials and Methods: Spinal segments of electrophysiological recording were identified by neural tracers applied at the left gastrocnemius muscle. The thresholds of Aβ (T Aβ ), Aδ (T Aδ ) and C (T C ) components of WDR neurons were measured to determine the intensity of pre-EA by extracellular recording. The discharges of WDR neurons induced by distinct intensities of pre-EA and 200 µL HS (6%) injection in left gastrocnemius muscle of rats were observed by extracellular recording.Results:The spinal segments of WDR neurons were confirmed in lumbar (L)5-6 area according to the projective segments of dorsal root ganglion. T Aβ , T Aδ and T C of WDR neurons was determined to be 0.5, 1, and 2 mA, respectively. The pre-EA with intensities of T Aβ (P < 0.05), T Aδ (P < 0.05), T C (P < 0.05) or 2T C (P < 0.01) at ipsilateral adjacent non-RFs significantly reduced the discharges of WDR neurons, while at local RFs only pre-EA of T Aδ (P < 0.05), T C (P < 0.05) and 2T C (P < 0.01) could inhibit the nociceptive discharges. In addition, intensity of pre-EA at contralateral non-RFs should reach at least T C to effectively inhibit the firing rates of WDR neurons (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Pre-EA could suppress nociceptive discharges of WDR neurons and the inhibitory effects were dependent on the distinct intensities and locations of stimulation.

“…Even after cutaneous nerve resection, the effects of deep EA analgesia were not alleviated. Hence, muscular A fibers play a crucial role in mediating EA-induced analgesia ( Chen et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: The Role and Rule Of Afferent Fibers In Signal Initiation An...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects and mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia mediated by afferent nerves in acupoint microenvironments

Fan,

Dou,

Wang

et al. 2024

Front. Neurosci.

5

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.

“…The physical basis for the specificity, intensity and frequency dependence of acupuncture points may be the many types of activated peripheral afferent nerve fibers (77). The frequency of EA stimulation, the position, and the strength of the acupuncture will all have a varied impact (80)(81)(82). Xin et al found that the segmental analgesia of EA at ST36 with lower intensity is partially mediated by ASIC3 receptor on Ab-fiber, whereas systemic analgesia induced by EA with higher intensity is more likely induced by TRPV1 receptor on Ad-and C-fibers (83).…”

Section: Neuroanatomical Basis Of Somatosensory Mechanisms For Acupun...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The physical basis for the specificity, intensity and frequency dependence of acupuncture points may be the many types of activated peripheral afferent nerve fibers ( 77 ). The frequency of EA stimulation, the position, and the strength of the acupuncture will all have a varied impact ( 80 82 ). Xin et al.…”

Section: Somatosensory-autonomic Reflex To Modulate the Immune Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

The immunomodulatory mechanisms for acupuncture practice

Wang

1

,

Liu

2

,

Ge

3

et al. 2023

Front. Immunol.

4215

The system physiology approaches that emerge in western countries in recent years echo the holistic view of ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practices that deal with the root, rather than only the symptoms of diseases. Particularly, TCM practices, including acupuncture, emphasize the mobilization of self-healing mechanisms to bring back body homeostasis. Acupuncture has been practiced for over two thousand years to modulate body physiology via stimulation at specific body regions (acupoints). With the development of various research on acupuncture therapy, its regulatory effect on the immune system has been gradually recognized, especially on immunological diseases, including infectious and allergic diseases. In this study, we reviewed the immunomodulatory mechanism of acupuncture and systematically integrates existing research to respectively elucidate the modulatory mechanisms of acupuncture on the innate immune system, adaptive immune system, and well-known neuroanatomical mechanisms, including intact somatosensory-autonomic reflex pathway. With the advances made in recent systems physiology studies, we now have a great opportunity to gain insight into how acupuncture modulates immunity, and subsequently improves its efficacy.

Electroacupuncture and Moxibustion-Like Stimulation Relieves Inflammatory Muscle Pain by Activating Local Distinct Layer Somatosensory Afferent Fibers (2025)
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