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Pain, Adenosine and Acupuncture

In a paper published online May 30 in Nature Neuroscience, a team at the University of Rochester Medical Center identifies the molecule adenosine as a central player in parlaying some of the effects of acupuncture in the body. In the current study, the researchers looked at the effects of acupuncture on the peripheral nervous system. The new findings add to the scientific heft underlying acupuncture.

To do the experiment, the team performed acupuncture treatments on mice that had discomfort in one paw. The mice each received a 30-minute acupuncture treatment near the knee, much as is done in standard acupuncture treatments with people.

The team made a number of observations regarding adenosine:
- In mice with normal functioning levels of adenosine, acupuncture reduced discomfort by two-thirds.
- In special “adenosine receptor knock-out mice” not equipped with the adenosine receptor, acupuncture had no effect.
-When adenosine was turned on in the tissues, discomfort was reduced even without acupuncture.
- During and immediately after an acupuncture treatment, the level of adenosine in the tissues near the needles was 24 times greater than before the treatment.

Once scientists recognized adenosine’s role, the team explored the effects of a cancer drug called deoxycoformycin, which makes it harder for the tissue to remove adenosine. The compound boosted the effects of acupuncture treatment dramatically, nearly tripling the accumulation of adenosine in the muscles and more than tripling the length of time the treatment was effective.

The paper includes three first co-authors: Nanna Goldman, technical associate Michael Chen, and post-doctoral associate Takumi Fujita. Other authors from Rochester include Qiwu Xu; medical student Tina Jensen; former student Wei Liu and former post-doctoral associate Yong Pei; assistant professors Takahiro Takano and Kim Tieu; and research assistant professors Weiguo Peng, Fushun Wang, Xiaoning Han, and Lane Bekar. Also contributing were Jiang-Fan Chen from Boston University and Jürgen Schnermann from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

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