Song Yue, Ni Jinxia, Yuan Jingxue, Zhang Ziniu, Wang Dinghao, Xiong Zhihao
Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
Front Immunol. 2025 Jun 4;16:1563626. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1563626. eCollection 2025.
Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) refers to a condition in which women experience cyclic lower abdominal pain, often accompanied by lower back pain, and even severe pain and fainting around menstruation, significantly affecting daily activities and work. Inflammatory factors such as prostaglandins PGF2α, PGE2, and COX-2 play key roles in the pathological mechanisms of PD. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and hormonal contraceptives are the first-line treatments for dysmenorrhea; however, they have significant side effects. Electroacupuncture, as a non-invasive and effective therapeutic method, is widely used as a complementary and alternative treatment, although its mechanism of action remains unclear.
A cold-coagulation type dysmenorrhea model was established in rats, which were divided into the control group, model group, low-frequency electroacupuncture group (2/10 Hz), and high-frequency electroacupuncture group (20/100 Hz). Behavioral writhing responses, organ indices, uterine tissue morphology changes, and levels of PGF2α, PGE2, COX-2, and other inflammatory markers were measured to evaluate the effects of the treatments.
Both the low-frequency electroacupuncture group and the high-frequency electroacupuncture group significantly reduced writhing scores, increased spleen index, decreased prostaglandin PGF2α and COX-2 levels, and increased prostaglandin PGE2 and β-EP levels to varying degrees.
Both low-frequency and high-frequency electroacupuncture exert their anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects by activating the COX-2/mPGES-1/PGE2 pathway and mediating the increased release of the opioid peptide β-EP, which alleviates inflammatory pain. Both treatments achieve the therapeutic goal of treating PD, with high-frequency electroacupuncture demonstrating superior anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects compared to low-frequency electroacupuncture.
原发性痛经（PD）是指女性在月经周期中出现下腹部疼痛，常伴有下背部疼痛，甚至在月经期间出现严重疼痛和昏厥，严重影响日常活动和工作。前列腺素PGF2α、PGE2和COX-2等炎症因子在PD的病理机制中起关键作用。非甾体抗炎药（NSAIDs）和激素避孕药是痛经的一线治疗药物；然而，它们有明显的副作用。电针作为一种非侵入性且有效的治疗方法，虽其作用机制尚不清楚，但被广泛用作补充和替代治疗。
建立大鼠寒凝血瘀型痛经模型，将其分为对照组、模型组、低频电针组（2/10Hz）和高频电针组（20/100Hz）。测量行为扭体反应、脏器指数、子宫组织形态变化以及PGF2α、PGE2、COX-2等炎症标志物水平，以评估治疗效果。
低频电针组和高频电针组均显著降低扭体评分，增加脾脏指数，降低前列腺素PGF2α和COX-2水平，并不同程度地增加前列腺素PGE2和β-EP水平。
低频和高频电针均通过激活COX-2/mPGES-1/PGE2通路并介导阿片肽β-EP释放增加发挥抗炎和镇痛作用，从而减轻炎性疼痛。两种治疗方法均达到治疗PD的目标，高频电针与低频电针相比，抗炎和镇痛效果更佳。
