Acupuncture-Induced Analgesia: A Neurobiological Basis in Purinergic Signaling

Chronic pain is a debilitating and rather common health problem. The present shortage in analgesic drugs with a favorable spectrum but without remarkable side effects furthered the search for alternative therapeutic manipulations. Increasing evidence from both basic and clinical research on acupuncture, a main alternative therapy of traditional Chinese medicine, suggests that chronic pain is sensitive to acupuncture procedures. Clarification of the underlying mechanisms is a challenge of great theoretical and practical significance. The seminal hypothesis of Geoffrey Burnstock and the astounding findings of Maiken Nedergaard on the involvement of purinergic signaling in the beneficial effects of acupuncture fertilized the field and led to an intensification of research on acupurines. In this review, we will summarize the state-of-the-art situation and try to forecast how the field is likely to develop in the future.