Cómo manipular farmacológicamente la acupuntura: el ejemplo de la adenosina

Among the different biological mechanisms proposed to be involved in the acupuncture-mediated analgesia, the relevance of the purinergic system is growing over the last years, especially by activation of the A1 adenosine receptors. In different experimental models, both in humans or in animals, the activation of these receptors produces analgesia. The insertion of an acupuncture needle in an acupuncture point promotes the local elevation of purines. Adenosine are synthesized from ATP and degraded by mean of several enzymes. Through the pharmacological manipulation of these enzymatic reactions, the concentration of adenosine could be enhanced and the therapeutic potential of the acupuncture improved. One of such attempts was coined with the term “PAPupuncture”. PAPupuncture is the local injection in an acupuncture point of the prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), an ectonucleotidase which hydrolyzes extracellular AMP to adenosine. PAPupuncture has shown to highly enhance the antinociceptive effects of acupuncture. The knowledge of the biological processes implicated in the modulation of pain could increase de analgesic potential of the acupuncture and could not only increase efficacy, but is also a fine example of a collaboration bridge between Oriental and Western medicines.