Journal of pain research
Warm Needle Acupuncture Attenuates Pain-Related Responses and Inflammation in Knee Osteoarthritis: Evidence for Involvement of TAK1/MAPK Signaling from Human Cartilage and Experimental Models
By Xu B, Su Q, Han D and 5 others.
Abstract
Background
Warm needle acupuncture (WNA) can improve symptoms in knee osteoarthritis (KOA). However, the molecular changes linked to its effects remain unclear.
Methods
This study combined human cartilage proteomics, a rat model of destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM), and ex vivo primary chondrocyte analysis. The final clinical analysis included 61 patients with advanced KOA (control, n = 31; WNA, n = 30). Cartilage and synovial fluid were collected after a 21-day preoperative intervention. Cartilage samples underwent four-dimensional data-independent acquisition (4D-DIA) proteomics, followed by hypothesis-driven analyses focusing on mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-related processes. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were defined as |log2FC| ≥ 1 and nominal P < 0.05. A DMM-induced KOA rat model involving 60 rats was used for in vivo validation. Mechanical pain hypersensitivity was assessed using the von Frey test, and cartilage pathology, MAPK signaling, and inflammatory cytokines were evaluated. Primary chondrocytes were isolated after in vivo treatment. Ex vivo analyses assessed transforming growth factor-β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1)/MAPK signaling and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Intra-articular interleukin-1β (IL-1β) was used as an additional inflammatory challenge.
