O efeito da microcorrente sobre o acuponto zusanli nos modelos de dor incisional, inflamatória e neuropática em ratos wistar

Abstract

According to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), pain can be conceptualized as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience, associated with an actual or potential tissue injury, or described in terms of such injury. Pain is always subjective". The categories of pain are defined based on the location, etiology or anatomical system primarily affected, such as incisional pain and inflammatory pain and neuropathic pain, used in the present study. As a non-pharmacological treatment for the relief of incisional, inflammatory and neuropathic pain, the present study used Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation by Microcurrent (MENS) on Zusanli acupoint (ST36) for 1 minute, MENS is a technique that emerged during the last decade as a reproducible treatment for several conditions, among them, the painful conditions, its main differential compared to other electric currents is its painless characteristic and its easy applicability. The objective of the project was to investigate the effects of the MENS application technique on Zusanli acupuncture (ST36) in incisional, inflammatory and neuropathic pain, in order to provide a better understanding of the current in relation to these painful conditions. Wistar male rats were submitted to the incisional pain model, induced by incision surgery in the right hind paw; model of inflammatory pain induced by administration of Freud-CFA Complete Adjuvant (50 μL) in the right hind paw; and the neuropathic pain model, induced by the Chronic Constriction of the Ischial Nerve-CCI, in the right hind paw. After the hyperalgesic inductions the animals were treated with the MENS on the Zusanli acupoint (ST36) for 1 minute. The mechanical thresholds (g) were evaluated using the electronic von Frey apparatus at times 0, 1, 3, 6 and 24 hours after MENS application. The hyperalgesic incisional and inflammatory conditions were significantly reversed (p <0.05) by applying the MENS in the Zusanli acupuncture (ST36) for 1 minute, at all times evaluated by the nociceptive threshold (0, 1, 3, 6 and 24h), in the condition of neuropathic hyperalgesia, hyperalgesia was significantly reversed (p <0.05) at times (0, 1, and 3h). According to the results, the application of MENS on Zusanli acupuncture (ST36) has an analgesic effect in relation to incisional, inflammatory and neuropathic hyperalgesia.