ArticleThe journal of pain2014
From peripheral to central: the role of ERK signaling pathway in acupuncture analgesia.
Article in The journal of pain, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 67 citations in OpenAlex.
- Combining various acupuncture therapies with multimodal analgesia to enhance postoperative pain management following total knee arthroplasty: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy of different acupuncture therapies on postherpetic neuralgia: A Bayesian network meta-analysis.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Pooled it
- Local changes in microcirculation and the analgesic effects of acupuncture: a laser Doppler perfusion imaging study.Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) · 2015Trial
- Regulatory effects and mechanisms of the acupuncture-induced complement component 1q on the high mobility group box 1 -receptor for advanced glycation end products-nuclear factor kappa-B pathway at Zusanli (ST36).Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2026Article
- Stimulation of High-Conductivity Points in Human Skin Reduces Biotin Levels to Modulate Intracellular Metabolism and Local Energy Production.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Electroacupuncture Alleviates Neuropathic Pain by Inhibiting Spinal CCL2-Driven Microglial Activation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Immediate and sustained effects of acupuncture on the default mode network.Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999) · 2025Article
- The analgesic effect of acupuncture in neuropathic pain: regulatory mechanisms of DNA methylation in the brain.Pain reports · 2024Review
- Peripheral Rho-associated protein kinase activation mediates acupuncture analgesia.Integrative medicine research · 2024Article
- Acupuncture influences multiple diseases by regulating gut microbiota.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2024Review
- Peripheral mast cells derive the effects of acupuncture in Parkinson's disease.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2024Article
- Electroacupuncture at GB34 modulates neurogenesis and BDNF-ERK signaling in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease.Journal of traditional and complementary medicine · 2023Article
- Effects and mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia mediated by afferent nerves in acupoint microenvironments.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2023Review
- Research Hotspots and Trends on Acupuncture for Anti-Inflammation: A Bibliometric Analysis from 2011 to 2021.Journal of pain research · 2023Article
- Acupuncture Analgesia in Patients With Traumatic Rib Fractures: A Randomized-Controlled Trial.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Article
- Peripheral ERK modulates acupuncture-induced brain neural activity and its functional connectivity.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Microbial Profiles of Patients With Antipsychotic-Related Constipation Treated With Electroacupuncture.Frontiers in medicine · 2021Article
- The Anti-Inflammatory Actions and Mechanisms of Acupuncture from Acupoint to Target Organs via Neuro-Immune Regulation.Journal of inflammation research · 2021Review
- Article
- Applying Complex Network and Cell-Cell Communication Network Diagram Methods to Explore the Key Cytokines and Immune Cells in Local Acupoint Involved in Acupuncture Treating Inflammatory Pain.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
unlabelledDespite accumulating evidence of the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture, its mechanism remains largely unclear. We assume that molecular signaling around the acupuncture needled area is essential for initiating the effect of acupuncture. To determine possible bio-candidates involved in the mechanisms of acupuncture and investigate the role of such bio-candidates in the analgesic effects of acupuncture, we conducted 2 stepwise experiments. First, a genome-wide microarray of the isolated skin layer at the GB34-equivalent acupoint of C57BL/6 mice 1 hour after acupuncture found that a total of 236 genes had changed and that extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation was the most prominent bio-candidate. Second, in mouse pain models using formalin and complete Freund adjuvant, we found that acupuncture attenuated the nociceptive behavior and the mechanical allodynia; these effects were blocked when ERK cascade was interrupted by the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor U0126 (.8 μg/μL). Based on these results, we suggest that ERK phosphorylation following acupuncture needling is a biochemical hallmark initiating the effect of acupuncture including analgesia. PERSPECTIVE: This article presents the novel evidence of the local molecular signaling in acupuncture analgesia by demonstrating that ERK activation in the skin layer contributes to the analgesic effect of acupuncture in a mouse pain model. This work improves our understanding of the scientific basis underlying acupuncture analgesia.
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.