Open Access

Electroacupuncture effects on the P2X4R pathway in microglia regulating the excitability of neurons in the substantia gelatinosa region of rats with spinal nerve ligation

  • Authors:
    • Yuyin Zheng
    • Chengqian Jia
    • Xia Jiang
    • Jie Chen
    • Xiao-Long  Chen
    • Xinwang Ying
    • Jiayu Wu
    • Mingchen Jiang
    • Guanhu Yang
    • Wenzhan Tu
    • Kecheng Zhou
    • Songhe Jiang
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: December 30, 2020     https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2020.11814
  • Article Number: 175
  • Copyright: © Zheng et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Electroacupuncture (EA) has been used to treat neuropathic pain induced by peripheral nerve injury (PNI) by applying an electrical current to acupoints with acupuncture needles. However, the mechanisms by which EA treats pain remain indistinct. High P2X4 receptor (P2X4R) expression levels demonstrate a notable increase in hyperactive microglia in the ipsilateral spinal dorsal horn following PNI. In order to demonstrate the possibility that EA analgesia is mediated in part by P2X4R in hyperactive microglia, the present study performed mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) tests in male Sprague‑Dawley rats that had undergone spinal nerve ligation (SNL). The expression levels of spinal P2X4R were determined using reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR, western blotting analysis and immunofluorescence staining. Furthermore, spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) were recorded using whole‑cell patch clamp to demonstrate the effect of EA on synaptic transmission in rat spinal substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons. The results of the present study demonstrated that EA increased the MWT and TWL and decreased overexpression of P2X4R in hyperactive microglia in SNL rats. Moreover, EA attenuated the frequency of sEPSCs in SG neurons in SNL rats. The results of the present study indicate that EA may mediate P2X4R in hyperactive spinal microglia to inhibit nociceptive transmission of SG neurons, thus relieving pain in SNL rats.
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March-2021
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Spandidos Publications style
Zheng Y, Jia C, Jiang X, Chen J, Chen X, Ying X, Wu J, Jiang M, Yang G, Tu W, Tu W, et al: Electroacupuncture effects on the P2X4R pathway in microglia regulating the excitability of neurons in the substantia gelatinosa region of rats with spinal nerve ligation. Mol Med Rep 23: 175, 2021
APA
Zheng, Y., Jia, C., Jiang, X., Chen, J., Chen, X., Ying, X. ... Jiang, S. (2021). Electroacupuncture effects on the P2X4R pathway in microglia regulating the excitability of neurons in the substantia gelatinosa region of rats with spinal nerve ligation. Molecular Medicine Reports, 23, 175. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2020.11814
MLA
Zheng, Y., Jia, C., Jiang, X., Chen, J., Chen, X., Ying, X., Wu, J., Jiang, M., Yang, G., Tu, W., Zhou, K., Jiang, S."Electroacupuncture effects on the P2X4R pathway in microglia regulating the excitability of neurons in the substantia gelatinosa region of rats with spinal nerve ligation". Molecular Medicine Reports 23.3 (2021): 175.
Chicago
Zheng, Y., Jia, C., Jiang, X., Chen, J., Chen, X., Ying, X., Wu, J., Jiang, M., Yang, G., Tu, W., Zhou, K., Jiang, S."Electroacupuncture effects on the P2X4R pathway in microglia regulating the excitability of neurons in the substantia gelatinosa region of rats with spinal nerve ligation". Molecular Medicine Reports 23, no. 3 (2021): 175. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2020.11814