Electroacupuncture suppresses expression of gastric ghrelin and hypothalamic NPY in chronic food restricted rats.

Electroacupuncture (EA) has been reported to reduce body weight in overweight subjects in clinical practice, as well as in rats and mice with diet-induced obesity. In the present study, this effect of EA was tested in lean rats subjected to long-term food restriction (FR, food was offered only 1 h/day). Two hertz EA administered once every other day produced a further reduction in body weight in FR rats. Exploration of the mechanism involved revealed significant downregulation of the orexigenic peptides: ghrelin in the stomach, and neuropeptide Y (NPY) but not Agouti-related peptide (AgRP) in the hypothalamus, which was in line with the reduction in food intake in rats receiving EA stimulation as compared with those receiving restraint only. Uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3), involved in accelerating energy expenditure, was not significantly altered. These results suggest that the EA-induced body weight reduction was due mainly to a decrease in food intake rather than an increase in energy expenditure. A reduction in the orexigenic peptides ghrelin and NPY may be involved in the underlying mechanism.

Distribution of beacon immunoreactivity in the rat brain.

Beacon is a novel peptide isolated from the hypothalamus of Israeli sand rat. In the present study, we determined the distribution of beacon in the rat brain using immunohistochemical approach with a polyclonal antiserum directed against the synthetic C-terminal peptide fragment (47-73). The hypothalamus represented the major site of beacon-immunoreactive (IR) cell bodies that were concentrated in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and the supraoptic nucleus (SON). Additional immunostained cells were found in the septum, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, subfornical organ and subcommissural organ. Beacon-IR fibers were seen with high density in the internal layer of the median eminence and low to moderate density in the external layer. Significant beacon-IR fibers were also seen in the nucleus of the solitary tract and lateral reticular formation. The beacon neurons found in the PVN were further characterized by double label immunohistochemistry. Several beacon-IR neurons that resided in the medial PVN were shown to coexpress corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) and most labeled beacon fibers in the external layer of median eminence coexist with CRH. The topographical distribution of beacon-IR in the brain suggests multiple biological activities for beacon in addition to its proposed roles in modulating feeding behaviors and pituitary hormone release.

Ketamine enhances the efficacy to and delays the development of tolerance to electroacupuncture-induced antinociception in rats.

Our previous studies have shown that 100 Hz electroacupuncture (EA) produced antinociception through the release of endogenous opioids (mainly dynorphin) and the activated kappa-opioid receptors in normal rats. Acupuncture is an effective treatment in relieving pain, but it develops tolerance after repeated administration. It has been reported that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists could increase the antinociceptive effects induced by morphine and delay the development of tolerance to morphine but nothing has yet been described to reduce EA tolerance. Here we test whether ketamine, a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, would enhance 100 Hz EA antinociception as well as prevent or delay the development of chronic tolerance to 100 Hz EA in normal rats. The results are as follows: (1) ketamine injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) 15 min prior to EA enhanced the antinociceptive effects of 100 Hz EA at a dose of 5.0 mg/kg, but not 0.2 or 1.0 mg/kg. However, ketamine at either dose did not affect the basal nociceptive threshold (represented by tail-flick latency). (2) Ketamine at a dose of 5.0 mg/kg delayed the development of chronic tolerance to 100 Hz EA antinociception. We conclude that ketamine can enhance antinociception of 100 Hz EA and delay the tolerance to 100 Hz EA in rats. These results suggest that the development of 100 Hz EA tolerance to antinociception was mediated, at least in part, through peripheral NMDA receptors, which may be useful in improving the therapeutic effects of EA in the treatment of pain when EA tolerance occurs.

Ketamine potentiates the effect of electroacupuncture on mechanical allodynia in a rat model of neuropathic pain.

Mu-opioid agonists and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists have been shown to attenuate mechanical allodynia in neuropathic pain models. We have previously reported that 2Hz electroacupuncture (EA) produced analgesia via releasing endogenous opioid peptides (i.e. beta-endorphin and endomorphin) and the activated micro-opioid receptors. The present study aimed to examine whether ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, can enhance the anti-allodynic effects induced by 2Hz EA in a rat model of neuropathic pain following spinal nerve ligation (SNL). The results are as follows: (1) EA itself or i.p. injection of ketamine reduced mechanical allodynia (i.e. increase in withdrawal threshold). (2) Although injection of ketamine at a low dose (1.0mg/kg) alone did not influence mechanical withdrawal threshold, combination of ketamine at this dose with EA produced more potent anti-allodynic effect than that induced by EA alone. (3) The anti-allodynic effect of EA combined with ketamine could be reversed by i.p. injection of naloxone (2.0 mg/kg). These results suggested that ketamine potentiate the anti-allodynic of EA in rats with spinal nerve ligation, and endogenous opioid system is likely to be involved in this process.

Attenuation of mechanical but not thermal hyperalgesia by electroacupuncture with the involvement of opioids in rat model of chronic inflammatory pain.

Opioid peptides have been proven effective in reducing the sign of hyperalgesia associated with inflammation. Electroacupuncture (EA) produces antinociception via release of endogenous opioid peptides in normal rats. Moreover, intrathecal injection of dynorphin has antinociceptive effect in rats. The present study was designed to examine whether EA has effect on the thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia in rat model of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammatory pain. The results are the following: (1) single session of 100Hz EA (0.5-1.0-1.5 mA, 10 min for each intensity) at both Zusanli (ST 36) and Sanyinjiao acupoints (SP 6) significantly increased mechanical withdrawal threshold determined by von Frey filaments but not with thermal withdrawal latency that is determined by hot plate (52 +/- 0.2 degrees C); (2) 100 Hz EA applied twice a week for 4 weeks and showed a significant decrease in the mechanical hyperalgesia at the third and fourth week, with no effect on thermal hyperalgesia; (3) naloxone (20 mg kg(-1)) had the ability to reverse the inhibition of the mechanical hyperalgesia produced by a single session of EA. In conclusion, the present results indicate that a single or repetitive EA could reduce mechanical hyperalgesia, but not thermal hyperalgesia, in CFA-inflammatory pain rats, and the opioid system might be involved in these effects.

Nocistatin potentiates electroacupuncture antinociceptive effects and reverses chronic tolerance to electroacupuncture in mice.

Nocistatin (NST) and nociception/orphanin FQ (OFQ) are peptides derived from the same precursor that play opposing roles in pain modulation. OFQ antagonizes morphine analgesia and electroacupuncture (EA)-induced antinociceptive effect. The present study investigates whether NST potentiates EA-induced antinociceptive effect and reverses chronic tolerance to EA in mice. Injection of NST (0.5, 5.0 and 50.0 ng) intracerebroventricularly had no effect on basal thermal latency, but produced a dose-dependent potentiation of EA-induced antinociceptive effect in mice with the maximum response at 5.0 ng. NST (5.0 ng) partly reversed chronic tolerance to EA. These results suggest that NST in the brain might play roles in EA-induced antinociceptive effect and the development of chronic tolerance to EA in mice.