Molecular Pain · Published 2026-06-01 · DOI 10.1177/17448069261459255
Huiqin Fang, Yaping Li, Jiaqi Li, Yarong Sun, Yunhua Zang
Background: This study aimed to explore potential biomarkers and mechanisms underlying in the treatment of neuropathic pain (NP) with Fu’s subcutaneous needling (FSN), employing a transcriptomics approach. Methods: In this study, RNA sequencing was performed in a rat model of chronic constriction injury treated with FSN and acupuncture methods. The FSN-related genes in the treatment of NP with FSN were obtained by overlapping the results of differential expression analysis. Potential biomarkers were identified by protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis and machine learning. In addition, potential biomarkers were analyzed for functional enrichment, molecular regulatory networks, and drug prediction. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was employed to validate the expression levels of the biomarkers. Results: FOS, RAC2, and TYROBP were identified as potential biomarkers. Furthermore, mo-miR-92a-2-5p was predicted to co-target RAC2 and TYROBP. Twenty-five drugs were predicted to target FOS and four drugs were predicted to target RAC2 were also identified. FSN treatment enhanced and attenuated the expression of RAC2, TYROBP, and FOS, respectively. Conclusion: In this study, FOS, RAC2, and TYROBP were identified as potential biomarkers in the treatment of NP with FSN, providing a potential theoretical basis for NP treatment.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
Read the article at the publisher →
Fang, H., Li, Y., Li, J., et al. (2026). Transcriptome profiling and experimental validation identify FOS, RAC2, and TYROBP as potential biomarkers for Fu’s subcutaneous needling in neuropathic pain treatment. Molecular Pain. https://doi.org/10.1177/17448069261459255