Zhang MM, Zhao JW, Li ZQ, Shao J, Gao XY. Acupuncture at Back-Shu point improves insomnia by reducing inflammation and inhibiting the ERK/NF-κB signaling pathway. World J Psychiatry 2023; 13(6): 340-350 [PMID: 37383281 DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v13.i6.340]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Xi-Yan Gao, MD, Professor, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, No. 156, Jinshui East Road, Zhengdong New District, Zhengzhou 450046, Henan Province, China. gaoxiyan26@126.com
Research Domain of This Article
Neurosciences
Article-Type of This Article
Basic Study
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Ming-Ming Zhang, Zhi-Qiang Li, Department of Pain Treatment, Luoyang Orthopedic Traumatological Hospital of Henan Province, Zhengzhou 471002, Henan Province, China
Jing-Wei Zhao, Jing Shao, Department of Geriatric Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, Henan Province, China
Xi-Yan Gao, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, Henan Province, China
Author contributions: Zhang MM and Zhao JW contributed equally to this work; Gao XY, Zhang MM and Zhao JW designed the study; Zhang MM, Zhao JW, and Li ZQ conducted the study; Zhang MM and Shao J contributed new reagents and analytical tools; Zhang MM analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author at gaoxiyan26@126.com on reasonable request.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xi-Yan Gao, MD, Professor, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, No. 156, Jinshui East Road, Zhengdong New District, Zhengzhou 450046, Henan Province, China. gaoxiyan26@126.com
Received: April 14, 2023 Peer-review started: April 14, 2023 First decision: April 26, 2023 Revised: May 5, 2023 Accepted: May 22, 2023 Article in press: May 22, 2023 Published online: June 19, 2023 Processing time: 66 Days and 0 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background
The characteristics of insomnia are dissatisfaction with sleep, including difficulty beginning or maintaining sleep, waking up with/or early morning, accompanied by related daytime damage, such as fatigue and emotional disorders. Western medicine mainly uses sedatives and hypnotic drugs to treat insomnia, and long-term use is prone to drug resistance and other adverse reactions. Acupuncture has a good curative effect and unique advantages in the treatment of insomnia.
Research motivation
To explore the molecular mechanism of acupuncture at Back-Shu point for insomnia.
Research objectives
To provides a new insight into the treatment of insomnia by acupuncture at Back-Shu point from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine.
Research methods
We first prepared a rat model of insomnia, and then carried out acupuncture for 7 consecutive days to explored the effect of acupuncture. The Morris water maze test was used to assess behavioral change. The detailed mechanism research was detected by RT-qPCR, ELISA, and Western blot.
Research results
Some Western drugs can improve insomnia symptoms, but their high drug dependence and adverse reactions limit their clinical application. Our study provides new insights into the treatment of insomnia symptoms from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine. Our study fills a gap in the treatment of insomnia with acupuncture at Back-Shu point and provides a new treatment for insomnia.
Research conclusions
This study suggest that acupuncture at the Back-Shu point can improve the insomnia by inhibiting the ERK/NF-κB signaling pathway and increasing the release of inflammatory cytokines in the hippo-campus. Acupuncture at the Back-Shu point has promoted the treatment of insomnia and benefited the public's sleep health.
Research perspectives
This paper provides new ideas for the treatment of insomnia from the perspective of acupuncture.
