Electroacupuncture Alleviates Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy by Regulating Glycolipid-Related GLO/AGEs/RAGE Axis

• Main Authors: Xuan Wang, Qian Li, Xu Han, Meirong Gong, Zhi Yu, Bin Xu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-07-01
• Series: Frontiers in Endocrinology
• Subjects: diabetes; electroacupuncture; peripheral neuropathy; glyoxalase system; advanced glycation end products; neuropathic pain
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2021.655591/full

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is one of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) and affects over one-third of all patients. Neuropathic pain and nerve dysfunction induced by DM is related to the increase of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) produced by reactive dicarbonyl compounds in a hyperglycemia environment. AGEs induce the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines via the main receptor (RAGE), which has been documented to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been reported to have a positive effect on paralgesia caused by various diseases, but the mechanism is unclear. In this study, we used high-fat-fed low-dose streptozotocin-induced rats as a model of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Persistent metabolic disorder led to mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia, as well as intraepidermal nerve fiber density reduction and nerve demyelination. EA improved neurological hyperalgesia, decreased the pro-inflammatory cytokines, reduced the generation of AGEs and RAGE, and regulated the glyoxalase system in the EA group. Taken together, our study suggested that EA plays a role in the treatment of T2DM-induced DPN, and is probably related to the regulation of metabolism and the secondary influence on the GLO/AGE/RAGE axis.