Abstract
Background Electroacupuncture (EA) has been confirmed effectiveness in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and P2X3 receptors in the peripheral and central neurons participate in the acupuncture-mediated relief of the visceral pain in IBS. Objective To reveal the neurobiological mechanism that P2X3 receptor of colonic primary sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia of the lumbosacral segment is involved in the alleviation of visceral hypersensitivity by EA in an IBS rat model. Methods The IBS chronic visceral pain rat model was established according to the method of Al-Chaer et al. EA at the bilateral He-Mu points, including ST25 and ST37, was conducted for intervention. The behavioral studies, histopathology of colon, electrophysiology, immunofluorescence histochemistry, and real-time polymerase chain reaction assays were used to observe the role of P2X3 receptor in the colon and related DRG in relieving visceral hypersensitivity by EA. Results EA significantly reduced the behavior scores of the IBS rats under different levels (20, 40, 60, 80 mmHg) of colorectal distention stimulation and downregulated the expression levels of P2X3 receptor protein and mRNA in colon and related DRG of the IBS rats. EA also regulated the electrical properties of the membranes, including the resting membrane potential, rheobase, and action potential of colon-associated DRG neurons in the IBS rats. Conclusion EA can regulate the P2X3 receptor protein and mRNA expression levels in the colon and related DRG of IBS rats with visceral pain and then regulate the excitatory properties of DRG neurons.
Highlights
Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic functional bowel disorder [1, 2]
In this study, starting from the mechanism by which P2X3 receptors in the colon and colon-associated dorsal root ganglia (DRG) are involved in the EA-mediated alleviation of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) visceral hypersensitivity, we investigated the acupuncture-mediated regulation of the peripheral sensitization of visceral pain to provide an experimental basis for the interpretation of the mechanism by which acupuncture relieves visceral pain
The results showed that colorectal dilatation (CRD) stimulation in neonatal rats significantly upregulated the resting membrane potential (RMP) of colonassociated DRG neurons (P < 0:05, vs. normal group (NG), Figure 4(c)) and downregulated the rheobase intensity of colonic neurons (the minimum current value required to induce an action potential (AP), P < 0:01, vs NG, Figure 4(d)), which induced an increase in the number of APs propagated by rat colonic neurons (P < 0:01, vs. NG, Figure 4(e))
Summary
Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic functional bowel disorder [1, 2]. Visceral hypersensitivity is one of the main pathophysiological mechanisms of IBS [3, 4]. Our previous clinical and animal studies have confirmed the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of IBS [11,12,13] and initially revealed that the P2X2, P2X3, and P2Y1 receptors in the peripheral neurons of the colon and in central neurons participate in the acupuncture-mediated relief of the visceral pain in IBS. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been confirmed effectiveness in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and P2X3 receptors in the peripheral and central neurons participate in the acupuncture-mediated relief of the visceral pain in IBS. To reveal the neurobiological mechanism that P2X3 receptor of colonic primary sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia of the lumbosacral segment is involved in the alleviation of visceral hypersensitivity by EA in an IBS rat model. EA can regulate the P2X3 receptor protein and mRNA expression levels in the colon and related DRG of IBS rats with visceral pain and regulate the excitatory properties of DRG neurons
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