Mechanism of the analgesic effect of electroacupuncture on bone cancer pain through the neuro-immune system: progress based on animal experiments.

Researchers reviewed animal studies examining how electroacupuncture (EA) relieves bone cancer pain, a severe chronic pain condition that occurs when cancer spreads to the bones. Bone cancer pain is particularly challenging to treat because it shares features with both inflammatory and nerve pain. Currently, doctors primarily prescribe opioid medications like morphine, but long-term use causes serious problems including addiction, tolerance, cognitive issues, nausea, constipation, and kidney damage. This review examined how electroacupuncture—a technique where mild electrical currents are applied through acupuncture needles—works to reduce bone cancer pain. The studies found that EA reduces pain through two main pathways: it regulates pain-signaling chemicals and receptors in the nervous system, and it modulates the immune system by reducing inflammatory factors, blocking activation of specialized immune cells called glial cells, and controlling T cell growth. While EA shows promise as a safe and effective pain treatment, the researchers identified several limitations in current research, including lack of standardized acupuncture points and electrical settings, limited clinical trials with human patients, and testing primarily in single types of cancer models. They recommend future studies establish standardized treatment protocols, expand to human clinical trials with larger participant groups, test various types of bone cancer pain, and explore combining EA with conventional medications to optimize pain management. Finding a qualified acupuncturist with experience in pain management is essential for patients considering this treatment approach.

This review analyzes animal experimental research on electroacupuncture (EA) for bone cancer pain (BCP), a chronic pain condition overlapping inflammatory and neuropathic pain characteristics. Current first-line opioid therapy produces tolerance, dependence, and significant adverse effects including cognitive impairment and nephrotoxicity. Animal studies demonstrate EA attenuates BCP through dual neuro-immune mechanisms: modulating nociception-related neurotransmitter and receptor release in the nervous system, and regulating inflammatory cytokine expression, inhibiting glial cell activation, and suppressing T cell proliferation in the immune system. Critical research gaps include non-standardized acupoint selection and parameters, limited clinical validation, single-model designs, and narrow mechanistic perspectives. Authors recommend utilizing databases like AcuEBase v1.0 for protocol standardization, expanding sample sizes with improved experimental design to facilitate clinical translation, testing diverse cancer metastasis models, and exploring multi-target synergistic effects through microbial-immune axis investigation. Combined EA-pharmacological approaches warrant further study for optimized BCP management protocols.