Electroacupuncture may relieve inflammatory pain by activating neuregulin one signalling in spinal cord inhibitory neurons.
Researchers induced inflammatory pain in mice using complete Freund’s adjuvant, then administered repeated electroacupuncture at two traditional acupuncture points. They assessed sensitivity to mechanical and heat stimuli, measured neuregulin one expression in the spinal cord, and tested the role of its receptor through drug inhibition and genetically modified mice lacking the receptor, including mice with receptor loss specifically in parvalbumin-positive spinal interneurons.
Electroacupuncture reduced pain hypersensitivity and increased spinal cord neuregulin one expression. Blocking or removing the receptor weakened pain relief produced by both electroacupuncture and neuregulin one, while receptor loss in parvalbumin-positive spinal interneurons altered normal mechanical sensitivity and prevented neuregulin one from reducing touch-evoked pain.
