Pain Relief Dependent on IL-17-CD4⁺ T Cell-β-Endorphin Axis in Rat Model of Brachial Plexus Root Avulsion After Electroacupuncture Therapy.

ABSTRACT:

Background and purpose

Neuropathic pain is the typical symptom of brachial plexus root avulsion (BPRA), and no effective therapy is currently available. Electroacupuncture (EA), as a complementary and alternative therapy, plays a critical role in the management of pain-associated diseases. In the present study, we aimed to reveal the peripheral immunological mechanism of EA in relieving the pain of BPRA through the IL-17-CD4⁺ T lymphocyte-β-endorphin axis.

Methods

After receiving repeated EA treatment, the pain of BPRA in rats along with the expressions of a range of neurotransmitters, the contents of inflammatory cytokines, and the population of lymphocytes associated were investigated. CD4⁺ T lymphocytes were either isolated or depleted with anti-CD4

SUBMITTER: Xu Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7901907 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature