Electroacupuncture attenuates inflammatory pain via peripheral cannabinoid receptor type 1 signaling pathway in mice.

Pain is strongly associated with neuro-immune activation. Thus, the emerging role of the endocannabinoid system in neuro-inflammation is important. Acupuncture has been used for over 2500 years and is widely accepted for the management of pain. Our study aimed to investigate the effects of electroacupuncture on the regulation of cannabinoid receptor type 1 within the peripheral nervous system. Inflammatory pain was induced by injecting Complete Freund's adjuvant to induce mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. Electroacupuncture significantly attenuated the mechanical and thermal sensitivities, and AM251, a cannabinoid receptor type 1 antagonist, eliminated these effects. Dual immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that electroacupuncture elevated expression of cannabinoid receptor type 1, co-localized with Nav 1.8. Furthermore, electroacupuncture significantly reduced levels of Nav 1.8 and COX-2 by western blot analysis, but not vice versa as AM251 treatment. Our data indicate that electroacupuncture mediates antinociceptive effects through peripheral endocannabinoid system signaling pathway and provide evidence that electroacupuncture is beneficial for pain treatment.

The efficacy and safety of cupping as complementary and alternative therapy for metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of cupping therapy in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS). METHODS: This systematic review focused on patients with MetS and included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the effects of cupping therapy with control groups. A total of 12 electronic databases were searched from inception until February 03, 2023. The main outcome after the meta-analysis was waist circumference; the others included anthropometric variables, blood pressure, lipid profile, fasting blood glucose level, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level. The incidence of adverse events and the follow-up courses were also evaluated. Risk of bias (ROB) was evaluated using ROB 2.0 from the Cochrane Handbook. RESULTS: This systematic review included five studies involving 489 patients. Some risks of bias were also identified. The meta-analysis revealed a statistically significance in waist circumference (MD = -6.07, 95% CI: -8.44 to -3.71, P < .001, I2 = 61%, τ2 = 3.4), body weight (MD = -2.46, 95% CI: -4.25 to -0.68, P = .007, I2 = 0%, τ2 = 0) and body mass index (MD = -1.26, 95% CI: -2.11 to -0.40, P = .004, I2 = 0%, τ2 = 0) between the cupping therapy and control groups. However, there were no significant results in total fat percentage and blood pressure values. Regarding biochemical markers, cupping significantly lowered the concentration of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MD = -3.98, 95% CI: -6.99 to -0.96, P = .010, I2 = 0%, τ2 = 0) but had no significant effect on total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. 3 RCTs reported no adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Despite some ROB and low to substantial heterogeneity of the included studies, cupping therapy can be considered a safe and effective complementary intervention for reducing waist circumference, body weight, body mass index, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with MetS. In the future, well-designed, high-quality, rigorous methodology, and long-term RCTs in this population are required to assess the efficacy and safety of cupping therapy.