Analgesic mechanism of pulsed radiofrequency in the spinal dorsal horn

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K17791
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 55050:Anesthesiology-related
• Research Institution: Osaka Metropolitan University (2022-2023); Osaka City University (2020-2021)
• Principal Investigator: Yamasaki Hiroyuki 大阪公立大学, 大学院医学研究科, 講師 (70759000)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: パルス高周波法 / エピジェネティクス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Pulsed radiofrequency therapy is a less invasive and relatively safe means of pain treatment for intractable chronic pain, and in recent years, there have been a number of clinically useful reports, and the range of diseases for which it is applicable is expanding. It is thought that the effect is achieved through a complex mechanism, but the mechanism has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we created a mouse sciatic nerve ligation model and confirmed that the mouse exhibited escape behavior in response to tactile stimulation in behavioral experiments, and that the threshold for escape behavior increased when pulsed radiofrequency was applied directly to the sciatic nerve under sevoflurane anesthesia. Furthermore, we performed comparative analysis of DNA methylation levels, clustering analysis, and heat map creation.

Free Research Field

疼痛学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

パルス高周波法の長期効果のメカニズムはいまだ解明されていないが、この鎮痛法が疼痛関連領域のエピジェネティックな変化を引き起こすことが証明されれば、それが長期効果につながる可能性が高いと考えられる。この解析は、パルス高周波法の長期鎮痛効果に関連する可能性のある領域と関連がある可能性があるDNAメチル化の候補領域の検討に寄与すると思われる。