Activation of hippocampal MEK1 contributes to the cumulative antinociceptive effect of electroacupuncture in neuropathic pain rats.

BACKGROUND: Electroacupuncture (EA) intervention can relieve a variety of pain; however, optimal EA protocols have not been clearly determined. In addition, although central mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) signaling has been shown to be involved in the antinociceptive effect of acupuncture stimulation, its characteristics at different time-points of EA intervention have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, the present study investigated the relationship between the effects of different numbers of EA intervention sessions and the activation of MEK1 in the hippocampus and hypothalamus in a rat model of neuropathic pain. METHODS: After ligation of the left sciatic nerve, which induces chronic constriction injury (CCI), the acupoints Zusanli (ST36) and Yanglingquan (GB34) were applied. The thermal withdrawal latency of the hind paw was used to evaluate the effect of EA on pain thresholds. Intra-hippocampus microinjection of PD98059, a MEK inhibitor, was performed to validate the involvement of MEK in EA analgesia. The hippocampus and hypothalamus were harvested to examine the phosphorylation levels of MEK (pMEK) by western blotting. RESULTS: In CCI rats, the thermal pain threshold of the affected hind paw decreased significantly relative to the control. Following subsequent daily EA interventions, CCI-induced ipsilateral hyperalgesia was markedly improved from day 4 and the analgesic effect of EA lasted 3 days after cessation of EA. Four sessions of EA markedly suppressed CCI-induced decrease of hippocampal pMEK1 (normalized to the total MEK level). In contrast, successive sessions of EA intervention gradually down-regulated the CCI-induced up-regulation of hypothalamic pMEK1 along with the increase numbers of EA intervention. However, EA did not exert the same analgesic effect after microinjection of PD98059 into the contralateral hippocampus during the first 3 days of EA intervention. CONCLUSIONS: EA intervention can induce time-dependent cumulative analgesia in neuropathic pain rats after 4 successive sessions of daily EA intervention, which is at least in part related to the activation of hippocampal MEK1.

[Does the Nucleus Ambiguus-Vague Nerve Mediate Anti-myocardial Ischemic Effect of Electroacupuncture of "Neiguan" (PC 6)-"Jianshi" (PC 7) in Myocardial Ischemia Rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of "Neiguan" (PC 6)-"Jianshi" (PC 7) on ischemic myocardial injury in myocardial ischemic (MI) rats, so as to explore its mechanism underlying improvement of MI. METHODS: A total of 48 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal, MI model, PC 6-PC 7, Sanyinjiao-Diji (SP 6-SP 8) groups (n=8 in each group for physiological experiments, n=4 in each group for immunoflorescence stain). The MI model was established by occlusion of the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery. Electrocardiogram (ECG) of the neck-thoracic lead was recorded and the heart rate variability (HRV) analyzed by using a physiological signal collecting system (MP 150) and PowerLab software. EA (2 Hz/15 Hz, 0.5 mA) was applied to bilateral PC 6-PC 7 or SP 6-SP 8 for 30 min every time, on the 1,2,3 day after modeling. Serum creatine kinase-MB isoenzyme (CK-MB) and lactate dehydrogenase-1 (LDH 1) and endothelin (ET) contents were assayed by ELISA. The expression of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) and c-fos proteins in the nucleus ambiguus (NA) region of the medulla oblongata was detected by immunofluo-rescence stain. RESULTS: Compared with the normal group, the ECG J-point height (1 h), serum CK-MB, LDH 1 and ET contents (1 d and 3 d), HR (1 h and 1 d) and LF/HF levels of HRV (1 h, 1 d and 3 d) and the number of c-fos positive neurons (3 d) in the NA region were significantly increased in the model group (P<0.01, P<0.05), while HF levels (1 h, 1 d and 3 d) and ECG J-point height (1 d and 3 d) were considerably decreased after MI. After EA intervention, the ECG J-point height 3 d after MI was close to zero in both PC 6-PC 7 and SP 6-SP 8 groups, being better than that (negative value) of the model group, and serum CK-MB, LDH 1 and ET contents (1 d, 3 d) of both EA groups, and HR (1 d) and LF/HF (3 d) of the PC 6-PC 7 group were obviously down-regulated (P<0.01, P<0.05), and the decreased HF 3 d post-MI and the increased number of c-fos positive neurons were significantly up-regulated in the PC 6-PC 7 group (P<0.01). No significant differences were found between the two EA groups in raising J-point height and in down-regulating serum CK-MB, LDH 1 and ET contents (P>0.05). Compared with the model group, no significant changes were found in HR 1 d post-MI of the SP 6-SP 8 group, 3 d post-MI of both EA groups, in HF 3 d post-MI of the SP 6-SP 8 group, in LF/HF 1 d post-MI of both EA groups and 3 d post-MI of the SP 6-SP 8 group, in the number of c-fos positive neurons of the SP 6-SP 8 group, and ChAT and VAChT positive neurons of both EA groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: EA intervention may improve ischemic myocardial injury in MI rats, probably by activating neurons in the NA region, and enhancing the cardiac parasympathetic tension, and balancing cardiac sympathetic/parasympathetic nerve activities, but the effect of cholinergic neurons of NA needs being studied further.

[Database Establishing and Data Mining of Pulmonary Diseases Based on Clinical Works by Modern Famous Veteran Doctors of Chinese Medicine].

OBJECTIVE: To explore syndrome and treatment laws for treating diseases of the pulmonary system by establishing database based on clinical works by modern famous veteran doctors of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: Clinical experience and literature of medical records in clinical works by modern famous veteran doctors of CM were taken as data source. Database was established by fields and program design. On these bases, data mining methods such as frequency analysis, cluster analysis, factor analysis, and correlation laws were performed in syndrome and treatment laws for treating diseases of the pulmonary system. RESULTS: Established were database capable of literature searching, information statistics, data mining of modern famous veteran doctors of CM. A total of 34,414 data were input, including medical records and notes 28,045 items (81.49%) and clinical experience 6,369 items (18.51%). In medical records and notes, there were 14,048 items (50.09%) in male and 9,466 items (33.75%) in female, and the ratio of male to female was 1.48:1. There were 4,531 items (16.16%) with no marked gender in medical records or notes. Data mining such as correlation analysis, cluster analysis, factor analysis, correlation laws in more fields could be realized. CONCLUSIONS: Medical records and notes were dominated in data collected in this paper. The prevalence of pulmonary diseases was obviously higher in males than in females. The trend of concentrated manifestations in related fields for pulmonary diseases could be surfed by this database. Diagnosis and treatment laws for treating diseases of the pulmonary system could be found by various adaptive data mining targeting different fields. Multi-variables of symptoms, syndromes, prescriptions, and herbal drugs could be data mined in large samples of clinical literatures.

[Brief analysis on transition factors of valuing acupuncture above moxibustion in Song, Jin and Yuan dynasties].

Study the transition factors of valuing acupuncture above moxibustion in Song, Jin and Yuan dynasties. The transition factors of valuing acupuncture above moxibustion in Song, Jin and Yuan dynasties are the breakthrough in pathogenesis theory and syndrome differentiation theory, the improvement of meridian theory, the flexible prescriptions, the widely practices of Chinese medicine in clinical settings, changes of diseases spectrum, the prevalence of heat diseases, the increase in trauma and fracture, and the limitations and disadvantages of moxibustion.

[Effects of social background of the song dynasty on the science of acupuncture and moxibustion ].

The government of the Song Dynasty paid high attention to develop the science of acupuncture and moxibustion, improved the position of acupuncture and moxibustion, specially made collation and systematization on ancient books of acupuncture and moxibustion, compiled monograph of acupuncture and moxibustion, set up acupuncture and moxibustion program and founded acupuncture bronze statue, launched experiment teaching and so on, which made acupuncture and moxibustion spread and be populated, accelerating the development and advancement of acupuncture and moxibustion sciences.