Role of purinergic signaling in acupunctureinduced analgesia

• Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Peter Illes
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Molekulare Biologie und Physiologie von Nerven- und Gliazellen
• Förderung: Förderung von 2013 bis 2016
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 245045708

The three applicants (and the German co-applicant PD Heike Franke) have been working together since The First Chinese-German Symposium on Acupuncture, Purinergic signaling & Pain, funded by The Sino-German Center for Research Promotion, took place in Chengdu from October 10 to 15, 2012. Professor Yong Tang (Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China), Professor Weifang Rong (Shanghai Jiaotong University, China) and Professor Peter Illes (University of Leipzig, Germany) propose now a new hypothesis to explain the mechanism of acupuncture analgesia based on the current increase of our knowledge on the participation of purinergic signaling in pain and acupuncture analgesia and their preliminary work supporting this hypothesis. Thus, different purine receptors and their interaction at the cutaneous acupoints, at dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) might contribute to acupuncture-induced analgesia. To strengthen this novel hypothesis, all scientists of the three research teams from different disciplines and complementary experimental experience will focus on inflammatory and neuropathic pain and employ various approaches, such as pain threshold test, microdialysis, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological recordings, molecular biology methods, immunofluorescence, real-time quantitative PCR, Western blot, gene knockout and the use of purine receptor agonists and antagonists in functional studies to forward research on this experimentally and clinically important issue. It is of particular significance, that their research will be executed at different hierarchical levels of the peripheral and central nervous system (see above). We are confident that this integrative approach and the combined forces and competence of the three groups will teach us how acupuncture utilizes purinergic mechanisms to alleviate pain.General description of the overall project, emphasizing the role and motivation of eachResearch Team, their intended interaction and the anticipated added value.This proposed project will mainly focus on the purine receptors and their interactions at cutaneous acupuncture points, the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVM) to reveal the mechanism of acupuncture analgesia in inflammatory and neuropathic pain. To complete this proposed project, we will establish three research teams, one from University of Leipzig led by Professor Peter Illes and his co-applicant PD Heike Franke (Leipzig team), one from Shanghai Jiaotong University led by Professor Weifang Rong (Shanghai team) and another from Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine led by Professor Yong Tang (Chengdu team). Chengdu team will concentrate on purine receptor-mediated effects at a cutaneous acupuncture point, while Leipzig team will focus on the molecular biological and functional characteristics of purine receptors located at DRGs and Shanghai team on those located at RVM. Apart from performing independent research, each team will keep close communication, exchange ideas with each other and provide its unique support in the research field of acupuncture, purinergic signaling or pain to the other two teams. It is anticipated that a number of PhD students will be trained in the participating laboratories, and our data will be published in high impact scientific journals. The 2nd Sino-German Symposium on Acupuncture, Purinergic signaling & Pain will be organized in Leipzig in the autumn of 2016. Additionally, we plan to set up a Sino-German Acupuncture Analgesia Group for studying the mechanism of acupuncture-induced analgesia.

• DFG-Verfahren: Sachbeihilfen
• Internationaler Bezug: China
• Beteiligte Personen: Privatdozentin Dr. Heike Franke; Professor Dr. Weifang Rong; Professor Dr. Yong Tang