Abstract
Recent research has demonstrated that chronic pain, resulting from peripheral nerve injury, leads to various symptoms, including not only allodynia and hyperalgesia but also anxiety, depression, and cognitive impairment. These symptoms are believed to arise due to alterations in gene expression and neural function, mediated by epigenetic changes in chromatin structure. Emerging evidence suggests that acupuncture can modulate DNA methylation within the central nervous system, contributing to pain relief and the mitigation of comorbidities. Specifically, acupuncture has been shown to adjust the DNA methylation of genes related to mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative phosphorylation, and inflammation pathways within cortical regions, such as the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and primary somatosensory cortex. In addition, it influences the DNA methylation of genes associated with neurogenesis in hippocampal neurons. This evidence indicates that acupuncture, a treatment with fewer side effects compared with conventional medications, could offer an effective strategy for pain management.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | e1200 |
| Journal | Pain Reports |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 23 Oct 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The International Association for the Study of Pain. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives License 4.0 (CC BY-ND) which allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in whole, with credit to the author.
Keywords
- Acupuncture
- Comorbidity
- DNA methylation
- Epigenetic mechanisms
- Neuropathic pain