The Endocannabinoid System Contributes to Electroacupuncture Analgesia

Iona J MacDonald; Yi-Hung Chen

doi:10.3389/fnins.2020.594219

The Endocannabinoid System Contributes to Electroacupuncture Analgesia

Front Neurosci. 2021 Feb 18:14:594219. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2020.594219. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Iona J MacDonald¹, Yi-Hung Chen^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
² Chinese Medicine Research Center, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
³ Department of Photonics and Communication Engineering, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan.

Abstract

The extensive involvement of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in vital physiological and cognitive processes of the human body has inspired many investigations into the role of the ECS and drugs, and therapies that target this system and its receptors. Activation of cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 (CB₁ and CB₂) by cannabinoid treatments, including synthetic cannabinoids, alleviates behavioral responses to inflammatory and neuropathic pain. An increasing body of scientific evidence details how electroacupuncture (EA) treatments achieve effective analgesia and reduce inflammation by modulating cannabinoid signaling, without the adverse effects resulting from synthetic cannabinoid administration. CB₁ receptors in the ventrolateral area of the periaqueductal gray are critically important for the mechanisms of the EA antinociceptive effect, while peripheral CB₂ receptors are related to the anti-inflammatory effects of EA. This review explores the evidence detailing the endocannabinoid mechanisms involved in EA antinociception.

Keywords: analgesia; cannabinoid receptors; electroacupuncture; endocannabinoid system; pain.

Publication types

Review