Browsing by Author "He, Xiaofen"

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    Electroacupuncture Alleviates Anxiety-Like Behaviors Induced by Chronic Neuropathic Pain via Regulating Different Dopamine Receptors of the Basolateral Amygdala
    (Springer, 2022) Wu, Mengwei; Chen, Yeqing; Shen, Zui; Zhu, Yichen; Xiao, Siqi; Zhu, Xixiao; Wu, Zemin; Liu, Jinggen; Xu, Chi; Yao, Pingan; Xu, Weiwei; Liang, Yi; Liu, Boyi; Du, Junying; He, Xiaofen; Liu, Boyu; Jin, Xiaoming; Fang, Jianqiao; Shao, Xiaomei; Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, School of Medicine
    Chronic pain, such as neuropathic pain, causes anxiety and other negative emotions, which aggravates the pain sensation and increases the risk of chronic pain over time. Dopamine receptor D1 (DRD1) and dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) have been implicated in mediating anxiety-related behaviors, but their potential roles in the BLA in neuropathic pain-induced anxiety have not been examined. Electroacupuncture (EA) is commonly used to treat chronic pain and emotional disorders, but it is still unclear whether EA plays a role in analgesia and anxiety relief through DRD1 and DRD2 in the BLA. Here, we used western blotting to examine the expression of DRD1 and DRD2 and pharmacological regulation combined with behavioral testing to detect anxiety-like behaviors. We observed that injection of the DRD1 antagonist SCH23390 or the DRD2 agonist quinpirole into the BLA contributed to anxiety-like behaviors in naive mice. EA also activated DRD1 or inhibited DRD2 in the BLA to alleviate anxiety-like behaviors. To further demonstrate the role of DRD1 and DRD2 in the BLA in spared nerve injury (SNI) model-induced anxiety-like behaviors, we injected the DRD1 agonist SKF38393 or the DRD2 antagonist sulpiride into the BLA. We found that both activation of DRD1 and inhibition of DRD2 could alleviate SNI-induced anxiety-like behaviors, and EA had a similar effect of alleviating anxiety. Additionally, neither DRD1 nor DRD2 in the BLA affected SNI-induced mechanical allodynia, but EA did. Overall, our work provides new insights into the mechanisms of neuropathic pain-induced anxiety and a possible explanation for the effect of EA treatment on anxiety caused by chronic pain.
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    Electroacupuncture Regulates Pain Transition Through Inhibiting PKCε and TRPV1 Expression in Dorsal Root Ganglion
    (Frontiers Media, 2021-07-20) Fang, Junfan; Wang, Sisi; Zhou, Jie; Shao, Xiaomei; Sun, Haiju; Liang, Yi; He, Xiaofen; Jiang, Yongliang; Liu, Boyi; Jin, Xiaoming; Fang, Jianqiao; Du, Junying; Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine
    Many cases of acute pain can be resolved with few side effects. However, some cases of acute pain may persist beyond the time required for tissue injury recovery and transit to chronic pain, which is hard to treat. The mechanisms underlying pain transition are not entirely understood, and treatment strategies are lacking. In this study, the hyperalgesic priming model was established on rats to study pain transition by injection of carrageenan (Car) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The expression levels of protein kinase C epsilon (PKCε) and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) in the L4-L6 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) were investigated. Electroacupuncture (EA) is a form of acupuncture in which a small electric current is passed between a pair of acupuncture needles. EA was administrated, and its effect on hyperalgesia and PKCε and TRPV1 expression was investigated. The PKCε-TRPV1 signaling pathway in DRG was implicated in the pain transition. EA increased the pain threshold of model animals and regulated the high expression of PKCε and TRPV1. Moreover, EA also regulated hyperalgesia and high TRPV1 expression induced by selective PKCε activation. We also found that EA partly increased chronic pain threshold, even though it was only administered between the Car and PGE2 injections. These findings suggested that EA could prevent the transition from acute to chronic pain by inhibiting the PKCε and TRPV1 expression in the peripheral nervous system.