ArticleExperimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.)2020
Acupuncture reduces pain in rats with osteoarthritis by inhibiting MCP2/CCR2 signaling pathway.
Article in Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Acupuncture suppresses the endoplasmic reticulum stress-c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway to inhibit chondrocyte apoptosis and attenuate knee osteoarthritis.Cell stress & chaperones · 2026Article
- Electroacupuncture alleviates osteoarthritis and is associated with activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and reduced ferroptosis-related changes.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2026Article
- Electroacupuncture alleviates osteoarthritis and is associated with changes in gut microbiota and steroid biosynthesis-related metabolites.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2026Article
- Efficacy of Different Acupuncture Techniques for Pain and Dysfunction in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Pain and therapy · 2025Article
- Signal Transduction Pathways Involved in Acupuncture-Mediated Inhibition of Synovitis in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Comprehensive Review.International journal of general medicine · 2025Review
- Therapeutic Potential of Acupuncture in Knee Osteoarthritis: Clinical Efficacy and Mechanistic Insights.Journal of inflammation research · 2025Review
- Battling pain from osteoarthritis: causing novel cell death.Acta biochimica et biophysica Sinica · 2024Review
- Altered Brain Functional and Effective Connectivity Induced by Electroacupuncture in Rats Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Transection.Journal of pain research · 2024Article
- Electro-acupuncture modulated miR-214 expression to prevent chondrocyte apoptosis and reduce pain by targeting BAX and TRPV4 in osteoarthritis rats.Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologica · 2024Article
- Economic evaluation of acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment with usual care for mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis: A Markov model-based analysis.Integrative medicine research · 2023Article
- Case report: Electroacupuncture for acute pain flare-up of knee osteoarthritis.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Article
- Imaging Study on Acupuncture Inhibiting Inflammation and Bone Destruction in Knee Osteoarthritis Induced by Monosodium Iodoacetate in Rat Model.Journal of pain research · 2022Article
- Role of Neuroimmune Crosstalk in Mediating the Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Effects of Acupuncture on Inflammatory Pain.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2021Review
- Acupuncture Delays Cartilage Degeneration through Upregulating SIRT1 Expression in Rats with Osteoarthritis.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021Article
- The Anti-Inflammatory Actions and Mechanisms of Acupuncture from Acupoint to Target Organs via Neuro-Immune Regulation.Journal of inflammation research · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Acupuncture is an emerging alternative therapy that has been beneficial for the pain of osteoarthritis (OA). However, the underlying mechanism of protective effect remains unclear. MCP1/CCR2 axis can be stimulated in various periods of OA, and we hypothesize that acupuncture may treat OA by regulating the MCP1/CCR2 axis. This study aimed to explore the effect of acupuncture at points ST35 and ST36 on the effects of hyperalgesia and cartilage in OA rats including the expression of chemokines, nerve growth factor (NGF), and inflammatory-related proteins. OA was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by anterior cruciate ligament transection at the right knee. The first acupuncture intervention was performed on the seventh day after surgery and once a day for seven weeks. The knee-pain-related behaviors, histology, and related protein were examined in this study. We have found that electroacupuncture at ST35 and ST36 can significantly alleviate the hyperalgesia and cartilage degeneration as well as reducing nerve sprouting in OA knee joint. Moreover, acupuncture treatment may inhibit the MCP1/CCR2 axis as well as down-regulate inflaming factor and NGF in cartilage and synovial tissue. The data presented here indicate that acupuncture exerts a protective effect against hyperalgesia and cartilage degeneration, and the mechanism might involve in chemokines and NGF pathway.
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Registered trials
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