Exploring the Mechanism of Immediate Analgesia Induced by Tuina Intervention on Minor Chronic Constriction Injury in Rats Using LC-MS

Sachula,* Zhenjie Yang,* Tianyuan Yu, Jinping Chen, Runlong Zhang, Yingqi Zhang, Jiayue Liu, Hanyu Zhang, Jiawei Sun School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Tianyuan Yu, School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8618210220868, Email yutianyuan@sina.comPurpose: This study aimed to investigate changes in metabolomic expression in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH) and thalamus during a Tuina session, aiming to elucidate the mechanism of immediate analgesia.Methods: The rats were randomly divided into three groups: the Sham group, the Model group, and the Tuina group. A minor chronic constriction injury (minor CCI) model was established in both the Model group and the Tuina group. The therapeutic effect of Tuina was determined using the mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) tests. Differential metabolites of the SDH and thalamus were detected using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Bioinformatic analysis was performed using CV, PCA, Venn, and KEGG.Results: The therapeutic effect of MWT and TWL after instant Tuina intervention was significant. The therapeutic effect of Tuina instant was significantly better compared to the Model group. In the Veen analysis, it was found that Tuina instantly regulates 10 differential metabolites in the SDH and 5 differential metabolites in the thalamus. In the KEGG enrichment analysis, we found that differential metabolites were enriched in 43 pathways in the thalamus and 70 pathways in the SDH.Conclusion: Tuina therapy may have analgesic effects by metabolizing neurotransmitters such as 2-Picolinic Acid, 5-Hydroxy-Tryptophan Glutathione Betaine-aldehyde-chloride Leucine Lysine Methionine Sarcosine Succinic Acid Histidine Acetylcho