Xing Liu,1 Tao Jiang,2 Bing Lu1 

1Department of Pain Medicine, Chongqing University Jiangjin Hospital, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 2Health Management Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Bing Lu, Department of Pain Medicine, Chongqing University Jiangjin Hospital, No. 725, Jiangzhou Avenue, Dingshan Street, Jiangjin District, Chongqing, 402260, People’s Republic of China, Email 1474438700@qq.com

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction (XFZYD) on radicular pain in rats with lumbar disc herniation (LDH).
Methods: Rat models of radicular pain were established and randomly divided into five groups: a control group, a model group, and three groups receiving low, medium, and high doses of XFZYD, with 12 rats per group. The rats in the treatment groups received different doses of XFZYD via oral administration, while the control and model groups received an equal volume of normal saline once daily for 7 days. Pain thresholds were measured, including the paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and thermal paw withdrawal latency (PWL). The levels of inflammatory factors in the spinal dorsal horn tissue, including tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Additionally, the expression of phosphorylated NF-κB in the spinal dorsal horn tissue was analyzed by Western blotting.
Results: Compared to the control group, the PWT and PWL in the model group were significantly decreased (p < 0.05), while the levels of TNF-α, TGF-β 1, IL-1β, IL-6, and phosphorylated NF-κB in the spinal dorsal horn were significantly elevated (p < 0.05). The PWT and PWL in the low, medium, and high dose groups receiving XFZYD showed significant increases (p < 0.05) compared to the model group, and the levels of TNF-α, TGF-β 1, IL-1β, IL-6, and phosphorylated NF-κB were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) across all dose groups.
Conclusion: Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction effectively reduces the release of inflammatory factors in the spinal dorsal horn of rats, enhances pain thresholds, and alleviates radicular neuropathic pain. The underlying mechanism may involve the inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Keywords: Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction, lumbar disc herniation, sciatica, inflammatory factors, NF-κB signaling pathway