Pain & acupuncture analgesia group
The research undertaken in the pain & acupuncture analgesia group focuses on the neurobiological mechanisms of pain including both acute (inflammatory and incisinal) pain and chronic (inflammatory, neuropathic & cancer) pain and acupuncture analgesia, and the effect of the combination of acupuncture with analgesics.
To date, we have elucidated that electroacupuncture (EA) can suppress both acute and chronic pain. The roles of endogenous opioids (especially nociceptin/orphanin FQ, N/OFQ), cytokines (especially interlukin-1β, IL-1β), neurotrophins (especially glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, GDNF; neurotrophin-3, NT-3), neuropeptides (especially orexin), and glia activation (especially microglia and astrocyte) in the central nerves system (CNS) in the pain and acupuncture analgesia are investigated using multiple-level methods, including neurophysiology, neuromorphology, neuropharmacology, molecular biology, behavior and cellular culture. In addition, we have demonstrated the synergistic analgesic effect of the combined treatment of EA and various analgesics, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), opioids etc.
Main subjects：
Pain & acupuncture analgesia and opioids & opioid receptor
Pain & acupuncture analgesia and pro-inflammatory cytokines & anti-inflammatory cytokines
Pain & acupuncture analgesia and glia activation
Pain & acupuncture analgesia and depression
Publications: (In the latest five years)
1. Yang CJ, Wang XW, Li X, Wu GC, Wang YQ, Mao-Ying QL. A rat model of bone inflammation-induced pain by intra-tibial complete Freund's adjuvant injection. Neurosci.Lett. (2011),doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2010.12.027
2. Ming-Juan Song, Yan-QingWang, Gen-Cheng Wu, Additive anti-hyperalgesia of electroacupuncture and intrathecal antisense oligodeoxynucleotide to interleukin-1 receptor type I on carrageenan-induced inflammatory pain in rats. Brain Research Bulletin 78 (2009) 335–341
3. Wen-Li Mi, Qi-Liang Mao-Ying, Qiong Liu, Xiao-Wei Wang, Xiu Li, Yan-Qing Wang, Gen-Cheng Wu, The distribution of kisspeptin and its receptor GPR54 in rat dorsal root ganglion and up-regulation of its expression after CFA injection, Brain Research Bulletin 78 (2009) 254–260
4. Wen-Li Mi, Qi-Liang Mao-Ying, Qiong Liu, Xiao-Wei Wang, Yan-Qing Wang, Gen-Cheng Wu, Synergistic anti-hyperalgesia of electroacupuncture and low dose of celecoxib in monoarthritic rats: Involvement of the cyclooxygenase activity in the spinal cord, Brain Research Bulletin,2008, 77:98–104
5. Qi-Liang Mao-Ying, Dian-Huan Ren, Wen-Li Mi, Qiong Liu, Yan-Qing Wang. Analgesic effects of electroacupuncture combined with Celebrex on rats with tibial cancer pain. [Chinese] Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao, 2008 6(8):830-5
6. Gen-Cheng Wu, Acupuncture anesthesia in China: Retrospect and prospect, Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine, 2007,13(3):163-165
7. Sun S, Mao-Ying QL, Cao H, Li TT, Han M, Pan HL, Wang YQ, Zhao ZQ, Zhang YQ. (2007) Is Functional State of Spinal Microglia Involved in the Anit-allodynic and Anti-hyperalgesic Effects of Electroacupuncture in Rat Model of Monoarthritis? Neurobiol Dis 26: 558-568.
8. X Fu, ZH Zhu, YQ Wang and GC Wu: Regulation of proinflammatory cytokines gene expression by nociceptin/orphanin FQ in the spinal cord and the cultured astrocytes, Neuroscience. 2007,144:275-278
9. Xin Fu, Yan-Qing Wang, Jun Wang, Jin Yu, Gen-Cheng Wu: Changes in expression of nociceptin/orphanin FQ and its receptor in spinal dorsal horn during electroacupuncture treatment for peripheral inflammatory pain in rats, Peptides 28, 2007,1220 – 1228
10. Ming-Juan Song, Yan-Qing Wang, Gen-Cheng Wu, Lipopolysaccharide- induced protein kinase D activation mediated by interleukin-1β and protein kinase C, Brain Res, 2007,1145:19–27
11. Zhi-Qiang Dong, Yan-Qing Wang, Fei Ma, Hong Xie, Gen-Cheng Wu: Down-regulation of GRFa-1 expresion by antisense oligodeoxynucleotide aggravates thermal hyperalgesia in rat model of neuropathic pain, Neuropharmacology, 2006,50:393-403
12. Zhi-Qiang Dong, Fei Ma, Hong Xie,Yan-Qing Wang, Gen-Cheng Wu: Down-regulation of GRFa-1 expression by antisense oligodeoxynucleotide attenuates electroacupuncture analgesia on heat hyperalgesia inrat model of neuropathic pain, Brain Research Bulletin, 2006,69:30-36
13. Qi-liang Mao-ying, Ke-mi Cui, Qiong Liu, Zhi-qiang Dong, Wei Wang, Jun Wang, Hong Sha, Gen-cheng Wu, Yan-Qing Wang: Stage-dependent analgesia of electroacupuncture in a mouse model of cutaneous cancer pain, European Journal of Pain, 2006,10:689-694
14. Qi-liang Mao-ying, Jun Zhao, Zhi-qiang Dong, Qiong Liu, Jun Wang, Jin Yu, Min-Fen Yan, Yu-Qiu Zhang, Gen-cheng Wu, Yan-Qing Wang, A rat model of bone cancer pain induced by intra-tibia inoculation of Walker 256 mammary glad carcinoma cells, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 345:1292-1298,2006
15. Xin Fu, Yang-Qing, Gen-Chneg Wu, Involvement of nociceptin/orphanin FQ and its sreceptor in electroacupuncture-produced anti-hyperalgesia in rats with peripheral inflammation, Brain Research, 1078:212-218,2006
16. Li WM, A Suzuki, Reflex inhibition of heart rate and efferent cardiac sympathetic outflow induced by colorectal distension in anesthetized rats. J Physiol Sci. 2006 Apr;56(2):185-188.
17. Li WM, A Suzuki, KM Cui, Responses of blood pressure and renal sympathetic nerve activity to colorectal distension in anesthetized rats. J Physiol Sci. 2006 Apr;56(2):153-6
18. Li W.M, Li N. et al.Spinal GABA is involved in the role of EA in relieving complete Freund’s adjuvant induced inflammatory pain in mice, Journal of Neurochemistry 2006, 98(suppl.1):32
Fei Ma, Hong Xie, Zhi-qiang Dong, Yan-Qing Wang, Gen-Cheng Wu: Expression of ORL1 mRNA in some brain nuclei in neurophathic pain rats, Brain Research 2005,1043:214-217
20. Zhi-Qiang Dong, Fei Ma, Hong Xie, Yan-Qing Wang, Gen-Cheng Wu: Changes of expression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and its receptor in dorsal root ganglions and spinal dorsal horn druing electroacupuncture treatment in neruopathic pain rats, Neuroscience Letters,2005,376:143-148
21. Zhi-Qiang Dong, Hong Xie,Fei Ma, Wei-Min Li,Yan-Qing Wang, Gen-Cheng Wu: Effects of electroacupuncture on expression of somatostatin and preprosomatostatin mRNA in dorsal root ganglions and spinal dorsal horn in neurophathic pain rats, Neuroscience Letters,2005,385:189-194
22. Zhi-Qiang Dong, Fei Ma, Hong Xie,Yan-Qing Wang, Gen-Cheng Wu: Down-regulation of GRFa-1 expression by antisense oligodeoxynucleotide attenuates electroacupuncture analgesia on heat hyperalgesia K.M Cui, W.M.Li, X. Gao, K. Chung, J.M. Chung, G.C. Wu: Electro-acupuncture relieves chronic visceral hyperalgesia in rats, Neuroscience Letters, 2005,376:20-23