Effects of point-moxibustion with Zhuang medicinal thread on pain sensitization and FcεRI pathway in rats with postherpetic neuralgia.
10.13703/j.0255-2930.20240401-k0001
- Author:
Sitong XIAN
1
;
Chenglong WANG
2
;
Caiyue LIN
3
;
Guangtian HUANG
4
;
Lingyao ZHOU
3
;
Xiaoting FAN
3
;
Chen LIN
3
Author Information
1. Guangxi University of CM, Nanning 530000, China; Ren'ai Hospital of First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of CM, Nanning
2. Guangxi University of CM, Nanning 530000, China; International Zhuang Medicine Hospital of Guangxi University of CM.
3. Guangxi University of CM, Nanning 530000, China.
4. Ren'ai Hospital of First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of CM, Nanning
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
FcεRI pathway;
differentially expressed genes;
point-moxibustion with Zhuang medicinal thread;
postherpetic neuralgia (PHN);
transcriptome sequencing
- MeSH:
Animals;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley;
Male;
Rats;
Moxibustion;
Neuralgia, Postherpetic/physiopathology*;
Syk Kinase/metabolism*;
Acupuncture Points;
Humans;
Ganglia, Spinal/metabolism*;
Signal Transduction
- From:
Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion
2025;45(6):801-807
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE:To observe the effects of point-moxibustion with Zhuang medicinal thread on differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG), tissue morphology, and the expression of Fc epsilon RI (FcεRI) pathway proteins spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) and membrane spanning 4-domain A2 (MS4A2) in rat model of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), and to explore the potential mechanism by which this therapy alleviates pain sensitization.
METHODS:Thirty-nine male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a control group, a model group, and a moxibustion group, with 13 rats in each group. The PHN model was established in the model and moxibustion groups by intraperitoneal injection of resiniferatoxin. In the moxibustion group, bilateral L4-L6 "Jiaji" (EX-B2) points were treated with point-moxibustion with Zhuang medicinal thread from day 7 post-modeling, with two cones per acupoint per session, every other day for a total of 10 sessions. Mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) were measured at 1 day before modeling and on days 1, 4, 7, 13, 19, and 25 after modeling. After intervention, HE staining was used to observe DRG morphology. RNA sequencing was performed to analyze DEGs in DRG and conduct bioinformatics analysis. The expression of Syk and MS4A2 mRNA and proteins in the FcεRI pathway in DRG was detected by quantitative PCR and Western blot.
RESULTS:Compared with the control group, the model group exhibited decreased MWT (P<0.05) and increased TWL (P<0.05); histopathological analysis revealed neuronal atrophy, nuclear displacement, and intracellular vacuoles, with a slightly loose arrangement; the RNA-Seq identified 3,207 DEGs (1,997 upregulated and 1,210 downregulated); the mRNA and protein expression levels of Syk and MS4A2 were significantly increased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the moxibustion group showed increased MWT (P<0.05) and decreased TWL (P<0.05), with relatively normal neuronal morphology; the RNA-Seq identified 426 DEGs (250 upregulated and 176 downregulated); the mRNA and protein expression levels of Syk and MS4A2 were significantly decreased (P<0.05). Venn diagram analysis identified 156 DEGs that showed a reversal in expression trends after treatment, including Syk and MS4A2, which are associated with pain sensitization. KEGG pathway analysis indicated that these DEGs were primarily enriched in the FcεRI pathway.
CONCLUSION:Point-moxibustion with Zhuang medicinal thread could alleviate pain sensitization in PHN rats, possibly by inhibiting the FcεRI signaling pathway and downregulating the expression of Syk and MS4A2.
