ArticleFrontiers in neuroscience2021
100 Hz Electroacupuncture Alleviated Chronic Itch and GRPR Expression Through Activation of Kappa Opioid Receptors in Spinal Dorsal Horn.
Article in Frontiers in neuroscience, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pathogenesis and Therapeutics for Chronic Pruritus of Unknown Origin: A Systematic Review.International journal of dermatology · 2026Pooled it
- Electroacupuncture exerts antipruritic and anti-inflammatory effects on atopic dermatitis by activating CB2 receptor.Chinese medicine · 2025Article
- Electroacupuncture ameliorates inflammatory pain through CB2 receptor-dependent activation of the AMPK signaling pathway.Chinese medicine · 2024Article
- Efficacy evaluation of acupuncture combined with pricking blood therapy in the treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria: a randomized controlled trial.American journal of translational research · 2024Article
- Structures of human gastrin-releasing peptide receptors bound to antagonist and agonist for cancer and itch therapy.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2023Article
- Role of GRPR in Acupuncture Intervention in the "Itch-scratch Vicious Cycle" Spinal Circuit of Chronic Pruritus.Chinese medicine · 2023Review
- Treatment Options for Troublesome Itch.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Electroacupuncture reduces chronic itchFrontiers in pharmacology · 2022Article
- A neuropeptide code for itch.Nature reviews. Neuroscience · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundClinical studies have shown that electroacupuncture (EA) alleviates chronic itch. Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) and dynorphin (DYN) in the spinal dorsal horn positively or negatively regulate itch, respectively. However, which frequency of EA is effective on relieving chronic itch and reducing the expression of GRPR, whether DYN-A in the spinal cord is involved in the underlying mechanism of the antipruritus effect of EA remains unknown.
methodsThe mixture of acetone and diethyl ether (1:1) [designated as AEW (acetone/diethyl ether and water) treatment] was used to induce the dry skin model of chronic itch. EA was applied to Quchi (LI11) and Hegu (LI4). Western blot was used to detect the expression of GRPR and DYN-A. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression of DYN-A.
resultsThe AEW administration induced remarkable spontaneous scratching, enhanced the expression of GRPR, and reduced the expression of DYN-A. Compared with the sham EA, 2 Hz EA, or 15 Hz EA group, 100 Hz EA was the most effective frequency for relieving chronic itch, reducing the expression of GRPR, and increasing the expression of DYN-A in the cervical dorsal horn. Furthermore, intraperitoneal injection of kappa opioid receptors (KORs) antagonist nor-Binaltorphimine dihydrochloride (nor-BNI) significantly reversed the effect of 100 Hz EA on the inhibition of both itching behavior and GRPR expression.
conclusionEA at 100 Hz is the most effective frequency that inhibits chronic itch and GRPR expression through activation of KORs in the spinal dorsal horn, which can effectively guide the clinical treatment and improve the antipruritic effect of acupuncture.
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