Proteomic response to acupuncture treatment in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Previous animal and clinical studies have shown that acupuncture is an effective alternative treatment in the management of hypertension, but the mechanism is unclear. This study investigated the proteomic response in the nervous system to treatment at the Taichong (LR3) acupoint in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Unanesthetized rats were subject to 5-min daily acupuncture treatment for 7 days. Blood pressure was monitored over 7 days. After euthanasia on the 7(th) day, rat medullas were dissected, homogenized, and subject to 2D gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF analysis. The results indicate that blood pressure stabilized after the 5th day of acupuncture, and compared with non-acupoint treatment, Taichong-acupunctured rat's systolic pressure was reduced significantly (P<0.01), though not enough to bring blood pressure down to normal levels. The different treatment groups also showed differential protein expression: the 2D images revealed 571 ± 15 proteins in normal SD rats' medulla, 576 ± 31 proteins in SHR's medulla, 597 ± 44 proteins in medulla of SHR after acupuncturing Taichong, and 616 ± 18 proteins in medulla of SHR after acupuncturing non-acupoint. In the medulla of Taichong group, compared with non-acupoint group, seven proteins were down-regulated: heat shock protein-90, synapsin-1, pyruvate kinase isozyme, NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuin-2, protein kinase C inhibitor protein 1, ubiquitin hydrolase isozyme L1, and myelin basic protein. Six proteins were up-regulated: glutamate dehydrogenase 1, aldehyde dehydrogenase 2, glutathione S-transferase M5, Rho GDP dissociation inhibitor 1, DJ-1 protein and superoxide dismutase. The altered expression of several proteins by acupuncture has been confirmed by ELISA, Western blot and qRT-PCR assays. The results indicate an increase in antioxidant enzymes in the medulla of the SHRs subject to acupuncture, which may provide partial explanation for the antihypertensive effect of acupuncture. Further studies are warranted to investigate the role of oxidative stress modulation by acupuncture in the treatment of hypertension.

Proteomic analysis of serum proteins in acute ischemic stroke patients treated with acupuncture.

In the present study, we have investigated the effects of acupuncture on (1) serum protein expression that might have a beneficial effect on stroke patients and (2) the strength of limb muscles in stroke patients. A total of 35 acute ischemic stroke (IS) patients were divided into two groups, one receiving drug treatment alone and the other receiving electroacupuncture (EA) and drug treatment. EA treatment was performed on eight acupuncture points once a day for 10 consecutive days. Serum proteins were detected using a proteomics method based on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and the specificity of proteins was confirmed by Western blotting. Changes of limb muscle strength were measured using a modified Medical Research Council grading scale. After EA, SerpinG1 protein expression in serum was down-regulated while the expressions of gelsolin, complement component I, C3, C4B and beta-2-glycoprotein I proteins were up-regulated in patients. The changes of serum protein expression were further confirmed by Western blotting in a majority of the cases. The muscle strength of limbs was increased after EA in 18 patients. EA appears to be effective in regulating differential expression of multiple serum proteins involved in stroke, and also in enhancement of muscle strength recovery in acute IS patients despite an individual variation.

Identification of acupuncture-specific proteins in the process of electro-acupuncture after spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious condition often affecting young and healthy individuals around the world. Electro-acupuncture (EA) has been proven to contribute towards neurologic and functional recoveries in SCI, but the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown especially regarding neural specific proteins involved in the development of EA. The protein expression profile of spinal cord in both SCI and EA treatment models was analyzed by using two-dimensional electrophoresis-based proteomics. Using a MALDI-TOF/TOF MS and subsequent protein database searching, we identified changes in 15 proteins in the spinal cord following Governor Vessel (GV) EA treatment on SCI. These proteins are involved in inflammation, cell adhesion and migration, signal transduction and apoptosis processes. We selected 2 proteins (ANXA5 and CRMP2) beneficial to neuronal survival and axonal regeneration, and further identified these protein changes using Western blot analysis. Subsequently, Nissl staining and immunofluorescence double labeling approaches were used to explore possible role of the two neural specific proteins in the process of GV-EA treatment on SCI. Our results suggest that ANXA5 and CRMP2 may be neural specific proteins in the process of GV-EA treatment on SCI. This work might contribute to the better understanding of the mechanism involved in EA treatment on SCI at protein levels and provide a new therapeutic strategy for SCI.