Differences in neural-immune gene expression response in rat spinal dorsal horn correlates with variations in electroacupuncture analgesia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Electroacupuncture (EA) has been widely used to alleviate diverse pains. Accumulated clinical experiences and experimental observations indicated that significant differences exist in sensitivity to EA analgesia for individuals of patients and model animals. However, the molecular mechanism accounting for this difference remains obscure.

Methodology/principal findings

We classified model male rats into high-responder (HR; TFL changes >150) and non-responder (NR; TFL changes ≤ 0) groups based on changes of their pain threshold detected by tail-flick latency (TFL) before and after 2 Hz or 100 Hz EA treatment. Gene expression analysis of spinal dorsal horn (DH) revealed divergent expression in HR and NR after 2 Hz/100 Hz EA. The expression of the neurotransmitter sys

SUBMITTER: Wang K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3411776 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature