Electroacupuncture reduced postoperative pain by activating stimulator of interferon genes and type one interferon signaling, thereby suppressing nervous system inflammation.
Rats underwent abdominal surgery to induce acute postoperative pain and received electroacupuncture at Zusanli and Sanyinjiao acupuncture points. Pain sensitivity was assessed using mechanical, heat, and cold tests, while electrical brain activity was recorded from the primary somatosensory cortex. Protein expression, cellular distribution of signaling molecules, and markers of nervous system inflammation were examined using laboratory staining and protein analysis methods. A drug that inhibits stimulator of interferon genes signaling was administered into the spinal canal to test the pathway’s contribution.
Surgery increased pain sensitivity and altered brain activity, whereas electroacupuncture improved pain thresholds and reduced abnormal sensory cortex activity. Treatment also reduced nervous system inflammation and modified stimulator of interferon genes and type one interferon signaling. Blocking this signaling pathway weakened the pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects of electroacupuncture, indicating that its activation contributes importantly to postoperative analgesia.
