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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2018; 76(11): 736-742
DOI: 10.1590/0004-282X20180128
Article

Involvement of adenosine A1 receptor in electroacupuncture-mediated inhibition of astrocyte activation during neuropathic pain

Envolvimento do receptor de adenosina A1 na inibição da ativação de astrócitos mediada por eletroacupuntura durante a dor neuropática

Authors

  • Mingxiao Zhang

    1   The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Department of Anesthesiology, Wenzhou, 325000, China.

  • Qinxue Dai

    1   The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Department of Anesthesiology, Wenzhou, 325000, China.

  • Dongdong Liang

    1   The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Department of Anesthesiology, Wenzhou, 325000, China.

  • Dan Li

    1   The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Department of Anesthesiology, Wenzhou, 325000, China.

  • Sijia Chen

    1   The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Department of Anesthesiology, Wenzhou, 325000, China.

  • Shuangdong Chen

    1   The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Department of Anesthesiology, Wenzhou, 325000, China.

  • Kunyuan Han

    1   The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Department of Anesthesiology, Wenzhou, 325000, China.

  • Luping Huang

    1   The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Department of Anesthesiology, Wenzhou, 325000, China.

  • Junlu Wang

    1   The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Department of Anesthesiology, Wenzhou, 325000, China.
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ABSTRACT

Neuropathic pain is a chronic pain condition caused by damage or dysfunction of the central or peripheral nervous system. Electroacupuncture (EA) has an antinociceptive effect on neuropathic pain, which is partially due to inhibiting astrocyte activation in the spinal cord. We found that an intrathecal injection of 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (DPCPX), a selective adenosine A1 receptor antagonist, reversed the antinociceptive effects of EA in a chronic constriction injury-induced neuropathic pain model. The expression of GFAP in L4-L6 spinal cord was significantly upgraded, while DPCPX suppressed the effect of the EA-mediating inhibition of astrocyte activation, as well as wiping out the EA-induced suppression of cytokine content (TNF-α). These results indicated that the adenosine A1 receptor is involved in EA actions during neuropathic pain through suppressing astrocyte activation as well as TNF-α upregulation of EA, giving enlightenment to the mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia and development of therapeutic targets for neuropathic pain.

RESUMO

A dor neuropática é uma condição de dor crçnica causada por dano ou disfunção do sistema nervoso central ou periférico. A eletroacupuntura (EA) tem um efeito antinociceptivo durante a dor neuropática, que é parcialmente devido à inibição da ativação de astrócitos na medula espinhal. Descobrimos que a injeção intratecal de 8-ciclopentil-1,3-dipropilxantina (DPCPX), um antagonista seletivo do receptor de adenosina A1, reverteu os efeitos antinociceptivos da EA no modelo de dor neuropática induzida por lesão por constrição crçnica (CCI). A expressão da GFAP na medula espinal L4-L6 foi significativamente melhorada, enquanto a DPCPX suprimiu o efeito da inibição mediadora da EA na ativação de astrócitos, bem como eliminou a supressão induzida pela EA do conteúdo de citocina (TNF-α). Esses resultados indicam que o receptor de adenosina A1 está envolvido nas ações da EA durante a dor neuropática, suprimindo a ativação astrocitária, bem como o aumento da TNF-α na EA, fornecendo esclarecimentos sobre os mecanismos de analgesia da acupuntura e o desenvolvimento de alvos terapêuticos para dor neuropática.

Keywords:

Electroacupuncture - astrocytes - receptor, adenosine A1 - cytokines, neuralgia

Palavras-chave:

Eletroacupuntura - astrócitos - receptor A1 de adenosina - citocinas - neuralgia

Support

This work was supported by the grants from the Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81573742, No. 81704180 and No. 81803937) and Wenzhou Public Welfare Science and Technology Plan (No. Y20170268).


Mingxiao Zhang and Qinxue Dai have contributed equally to this work.




Publication History

Received: 28 April 2018

Accepted: 29 July 2018

Article published online:
22 August 2023

© 2023. Academia Brasileira de Neurologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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