Effect of acupuncture on selective attention for smoking-related visual cues in smokers.

OBJECTIVES: Cue reactivity is a key factor that modulates motivational goal directed behavior associated with compulsive drug intake and relapse. We investigated the effect of acupuncture on the selective attention to smoking-related visual cues in smokers, as an index of the severity of drug dependence. METHODS: Twenty-nine smokers received real acupuncture (n=15) or sham acupuncture (n=14) to the acupuncture point HT7 (Sinmun) for 2 consecutive days after quitting smoking. A visual probe task was used to measure the attentional bias using neutral or smoking visual cues after the second acupuncture stimulation. The cigarette withdrawal scale was also measured on the same day. RESULTS: The real acupuncture group showed markedly attenuated attentional bias towards smoking cues. The real acupuncture group exhibited significant decrease in withdrawal symptoms compared to the sham acupuncture group. The attentional bias revealed a significant positive correlation with the smoking withdrawal symptoms (r=0.430, p<0.05). DISCUSSION: Acupuncture treatment ameliorated the smoking withdrawal symptoms as well as the selective attention to smoking-related visual cues in smokers. The selective attention to smoking cues was associated with the degree of the cigarette withdrawal symptoms.

Morphine-induced locomotor response and Fos expression in rats are inhibited by acupuncture.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of acupuncture to the acupuncture point HT7 (Sinmun) on morphine-induced behavioral sensitization and the neuronal changes in nucleus accumbens and striatum in rats. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given repeated injections of morphine hydrochloride for 5 days followed by 3 day withdrawal and one challenge injection. The acupuncture treatment was performed for 1 minute once a day for 3 days of withdrawal period and its effect on morphine-induced changes of locomotor activity and Fos expression was examined. RESULTS: The acupuncture stimulation to HT7 significantly suppressed the morphine-induced increases in the locomotor activity and Fos expression in the nucleus accumbens and striatum, as compared to the controls of non-acupoint or the acupoint on other meridian. DISCUSSION: These results demonstrated that the inhibitory effect of the acupuncture stimulation to HT7 on morphine-induced behavioral sensitization was closely associated with the suppression of dopamine biosynthesis and its activity in the post-synaptic neurons in nucleus accumbens and striatum. It means that the behavioral effect of the acupuncture can originate from the modulation of the same neuronal mechanism in the central dopaminergic system as in the morphine-induced behavioral sensitization. This modulation was also strictly confined to the stimulation of the specific acupoint, because the stimulation to other acupoint (TE5) on another meridian did not show the modulating effect despite being relatively close to each other. It can be therefore suggested that the acupuncture stimulation has an acupoint-specific property, and might be a useful therapeutic alternative with few side effects for treating morphine addiction.

Panax ginseng increases hypoxia-induced down-regulated cellular response related genes in human neuroblastoma cells, SK-N-MC.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have suggested that hypoxia plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of various neurological disorders. To determine protective effect of Panax ginseng (PG) on hypoxia (0.1% O(2))-induced cell death in human neuroblastoma cells SK-N-MC, we profiled the gene expression among hypoxia, PG-treated hypoxia and normoxia groups. METHODS: To determine protective effect on hypoxia-induced cytotoxicity of PG, we performed 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. We compared the gene expression profiles among hypoxia, PG-treated hypoxia (100 mug/ml, 6 hours) and normoxia groups using 8K human cDNA microarray analysis. Additionally, in order to identify differentially expressed genes between hypoxia and PG-treated hypoxia groups, hierarchical clustering of genes was also performed. RESULTS: MTT assay showed that PG protected hypoxia-induced cell death. In cDNA microarray analysis, hypoxia remarkably down-regulated IGF-II mRNA-binding protein 3 (IMP-3), integrin alpha 2 (ITGA2), syndecan binding protein (SDCBP), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGBP3) and M-phase phosphoprotein 10 (MPHOSPH10), belonging to category of cellular physiologic response (global M<-3.5). In cluster analysis, 1428 genes exhibited differential expression levels between hypoxia and PG-treated hypoxia groups. Of them, the expressions of 11 genes were increased more than two-fold by PG treatment compared to those in hypoxia group. Particularly, of 11 genes, the expression levels of cellular physiologic response related genes such as MPHOSPH10, IMP-3 and SDCBP, which markedly down-regulated by hypoxia, are increased more than four-fold by PG treatment, compared to hypoxia group. CONCLUSION: In summary, hypoxia induced down-regulation of cellular physiologic response related genes in human neuroblastoma cells, SK-N-MC, and PG ameliorated the hypoxia-induced down-regulation of such genes. These results indicate possible usage of PG in hypoxia-induced neuronal injury including ischemia, trauma and degenerative diseases.

Suppressive effect by Hizikia fusiforme on the production of tumor necrosis factor in BV2 murine microglial cells.

BACKGROUND: Hizikia fusiforme has been commonly used as food in Korea. Antioxidant effect of Hizikia fusiforme, however, was recently reported. Thus, herein, we investigated the effect of Hizikia fusiforme on the production and expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a major proinflammatory mediator, in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated BV2 microglial cells. METHODS: Cells were pre-treated with 5 or 50 mug/ml Hizikia fusiforme and treated with 1 mug/ml LPS. The production of TNF was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The effect of Hizikia fusiforme on the expression of TNF was also performed by immunoblot analysis and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Activation of nuclear factor kappab (NFkappab) was determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). RESULTS: We observed that Hizikia fusiforme decreased the production of TNF. The inhibitory effect of the Hizikia fusiforme on the expression of TNF was confirmed by immunoblot and RT-PCR analyses. In addition, EMSA experiment revealed that Hizikia fusiforme blocked the LPS-induced activation of NFkappab. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that Hizikia fusiforme may suppress LPS-stimulated TNF production via inhibition of NFkappab in murine microglial cells.