Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with acupuncture on NLRP3 inflammasome and protease levels in patients with neuropathic pain.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with acupuncture could alleviate pain in patients suffering from postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) by inhibiting NOD-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation.

METHODS

Data of 92 PHN patients were retrospectively collected. The patients were grouped as control (nerve block), rTMS, and rTMS + acupuncture groups according to treatment methods. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score, as well as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, NLRP3, and Caspase-1 levels of patients in each group prior and post-treatment were analyzed.

RESULTS

The rTMS + acupuncture group showed higher efficacy than the rTMS group and the control group, contributing to markedly lower VAS score, as well as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, NLRP3 and Caspase-1 levels than the other two groups ( < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

rTMS plus acupuncture can reduce the inflammatory immune response and ease the pain in patients by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome and its resulting inflammatory factors, Caspase-1 and IL-1β.