Regulation of autophagy-related proteins by electroacupuncture in rats with bone cancer pain
10.3969/j.issn.1000-4718.2025.08.012
- VernacularTitle:电针对骨癌痛大鼠神经元自噬相关蛋白的调节作用
- Author:
Hongyan QIN
1
;
Xiaoxia HE
;
Yujie HU
;
Yong LI
;
Cuihua LIU
;
Wei HU
;
Lirong DENG
Author Information
1. 三峡大学健康医学院,湖北 宜昌 443002;三峡大学国家中医药管理局中药药理科研三级实验室,湖北 宜昌 443002
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
bone cancer pain;
autophagy;
electroacupuncture;
spinal cord
- From:
Chinese Journal of Pathophysiology
2025;41(8):1559-1568
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
AIM:To investigate the modulatory effects of electroacupuncture(EA)on spinal cord neurons au-tophagy in rats with bone cancer pain.METHODS:(1)Verification of autophagy-related protein expression at different time points in a bone cancer pain model:a total of 56 female Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were randomly divided into a sham-operated(sham)group and a model group.The model group was further subdivided into 6 subgroups corresponding to time points of 3,6,9,12,15,and 18 d,with 8 rats per subgroup.Thermal and mechanical pain thresholds,tibial bone destruction,and spinal neuron marker neuronal nuclear antigen(NeuN)co-localized with LC3B,Beclin1,and P62 were examined in rats at each designated time point.(2)Changes in spinal autophagy proteins following EA intervention:an additional 40 rats were randomly assigned to sham group,model group,EA group,sham EA(SEA)group,and autoph-agy agonist rapamycin(Rap)group,with 8 animals per group.EA was administered to the rats in EA group beginning on day 6 after modeling,the rats in SEA group received needle insertion without electrical stimulation,while those in Rap group received intraperitoneal injections of rapamycin(5 mg/kg).Thermal pain thresholds were assessed at designated in-tervals,followed by mechanical pain threshold assessments conducted on the subsequent day.Treatment continued until day 21,with rapamycin administered at the end of each intervention day.Tibial bone destruction was evaluated using he-matoxylin-eosin(HE)staining.Expression levels of LC3B Ⅱ/LC3B I,Beclin1,and P62 proteins in the spinal cord were determined by Western blot and immunohistochemistry.RESULTS:(1)Compared with the Sham group,thermal and mechanical pain thresholds were significantly decreased in the model group starting from day 6(P<0.01).Rat tibial bones exhibited notable damage,with severity progressively increasing over time.Protein expression levels of LC3B Ⅱ/LC3B I,Beclin1,and P62 were significantly elevated in the spinal cord at various time points(P<0.01),and these pro-teins were co-localized with spinal cord neurons.(2)Compared with the model group,mechanical and thermal pain thresholds in the EA and Rap groups gradually increased,with statistically significant differences observed from days 8 and 6 onward,respectively(P<0.01).In addition,LC3B Ⅱ/LC3B I and Beclin1 protein expression levels were signifi-cantly upregulated(P<0.01),whereas P62 expression was markedly downregulated(P<0.01).Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated significantly enhanced positive staining for LC3B Ⅱ/LC3B I and Beclin1 and significantly decreased positive staining for P62 in the spinal cord of rats in the EA and Rap groups(P<0.05).Notably,no significant differences were observed in the SEA group(P>0.05).CONCLUSION:EA promotes spinal cord neurons autophagy in rats with bone cancer pain.The enhancement of autophagy may represent a potential mechanism underlying the analgesic effect of EA in bone cancer pain.
