Electroacupuncture may relieve ulcerative colitis pain sensitivity by increasing norepinephrine and suppressing inflammatory activation of intestinal glial cells.
Rats were given dextran sulfate sodium to induce intestinal inflammation, followed by a remission period. They then received either electroacupuncture at a hindlimb acupuncture point, sham treatment, or no treatment for two weeks. Researchers assessed intestinal inflammation, pain-related abdominal withdrawal responses, blood norepinephrine levels, and colonic glial-cell activity and inflammatory signalling proteins using tissue staining and protein analysis.
Electroacupuncture improved signs of colonic inflammation and reduced heightened visceral sensitivity. It was associated with increased circulating norepinephrine, reduced activation of intestinal glial cells, and lower expression of a glial inflammatory protein and signalling molecules involved in inflammatory immune activation, supporting a nerve-mediated anti-inflammatory mechanism.
