ArticleJournal of pain research2025
Mechanotransduction Pathways in Massage Therapy: CB1/Piezo2 Receptor Crosstalk Modulates Myocellular Anti-Inflammatory Responses.
Article in Journal of pain research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- A dual role of PIEZO2 in neuropathic pain: driving peripheral sensitization and enabling mechanical loading-induced analgesia.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026Article
- Tuina ameliorates sleep disturbances in PCPA-treated rats through Piezo1-mediated calcium signaling.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- Mechanical cues as immunomodulators in neuroinflammation-driven spinal sensitization: analgesic mechanisms and therapeutic strategies.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Massage therapy is widely used to alleviate pain, however, its molecular mechanisms, particularly those integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with mechanobiology, remain inadequately elucidated. This study investigates the novel hypothesis that coordinated signaling between cannabinoid receptor-1 (CB1) and the Epac1-Piezo2 axis underlies massage-induced analgesia in inflammatory pain. Methods: Female C57BL/6 mice (8-10 weeks) were randomly allocated into three groups (n=6/group): Control group: Received a 25-µL intramuscular microinjection of saline into the right tibialis anterior muscle; CFA group: Inflammatory hyperalgesia was established via 25-µL intramuscular CFA (complete Freund's adjuvant) microinjection. Model validation was performed 48 hours post-CFA administration by assessing ipsilateral hindlimb edema, erythema, exudation, and mechanical hyperalgesia using von Frey filament testing. Massage group: CFA mice received daily ipsilateral ST36/GB34 acupressure for 14 days starting 24h post-modeling. Thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia were assessed via hot plate and von Frey tests. CB1 (Western blot), Epac1 (IHC), and Piezo2 (IF) levels in L4-6 DRGs were analyzed. Results: Acupoint massage (targeting ST36 and GB34) significantly elevated mechanical and thermal pain thresholds in CFA-induced inflammatory pain mice. Western blot analysis revealed upregulation of CB1 protein expression in L4-6 DRGs. Notably, massage downregulated Epac1 and Piezo2 protein levels, suggesting that the analgesic mechanism involves modulation of the CB1, Epac1, and Piezo2 signaling pathways. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that massage therapy attenuates inflammatory pain, potentially through activation of cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptors and modulation of the Epac1/Piezo2 signaling axis. This study provides mechanistic insights into the analgesic properties of massage treatment.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.