摘要
A breakthrough article by Ma et al.(2021),published in Nature,revealed the neuroanatomical mechanism of the systemic anti-inflammatory effect mediated by the“vagal-adrenal axis”induced by electroacupuncture[1].Based on previous research,they demonstrated that prokineticin receptor 2(PROKR2)Cre-marked sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia are indispensable for the activation of the vagal-adrenal anti-inflammatory pathway induced by low-intensity electroacupuncture stimulation(ES)at Zusanli(ST36)or Shousanli(LI10)acupoints[2].They found that peripheral fibers of PROKR2Cre-marked neurons were abundantly distributed in the deep fascia of the ST36 and LI10 regions but sparsely in the superficial tissue of the corresponding sites,as well as other acupoints such as Chengjin(BL56)and the abdominal Tianshu(ST25).This differential distribution of PROKR2Cre nerve fibers provides tangible neuroanatomical evidence for the relative specificity of the local tissue structure at different acupoints,thereby facilitating the prediction of anti-inflammatory effects induced by low-intensity ES at different acupoints.This crucial research finding allows us to explore its impact on the development of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)as a whole instead of being limited to the acupuncture field.
