Regulation of the endoplasmic reticulum stress response and neuroprotective effects of acupuncture on brain injury caused by heroin addiction.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate regulation of the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) response by acupuncture and to investigate its neuroprotective effect on brain injury caused by heroin addiction. METHODS: A total of 48 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a healthy control group (Control), an untreated heroin exposed group (Heroin) and a heroin exposed group receiving electroacupuncture (EA) treatment at GV14 and GV20 (Heroin+acupuncture) with n=16 rats per group. A rat model of heroin addiction was established by intramuscular injection of incremental doses of heroin for 8 consecutive days. A rat model of heroin relapse was established according to the exposure (addiction) → detoxification method. Apoptotic changes in nerve cells in the hippocampus and ventral tegmental area (VTA) were evaluated in each group of rats using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) assay. PERK, eIF2a, CHOP, IRE1 and JNK gene expression and protein expression were measured using quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) assay and immunohistochemical assay, respectively. RESULTS: The total number of positive nerve cells in the hippocampus and VTA was significantly lower in the Heroin+acupuncture group than in the Heroin group (p<0.01). Compared with the Heroin group, mRNA and protein expression of PERK, eIF2a, CHOP, IRE1 and JNK in the hippocampus and VTA were significantly downregulated in the Heroin+acupuncture group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The acupuncture-regulated ERS response appears to mediate the neuroprotective effect of acupuncture in heroin-addicted rats with brain injury. Inhibition of CHOP and JNK upregulation and reduction of nerve cell apoptosis may be the main mechanisms underlying the effects of acupuncture on heroin addiction-induced brain injury.

[Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel chalcone aromatic oxygen alkyl acids compounds].

Six novel ligustrazine chalcone aromatic oxygen alkyl acids compounds and two pyridine chalcone aromatic oxygen alkyl acids ester compounds were synthesized according to the traditional Chinese medicine theory removing blood stasis. The structures of target compounds were identified by IR, NMR and ESI-MS. The inhibitory activities of platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and arachidonic acid(AA) were measured by the liver microsomal incubation method in vitro. Hypolipidemic activities of compounds were tested in vivo for better inhibitory activities of platelet aggregation. Preliminary pharmacological results showed that compounds 7c, 8a and 11 a had potent inhibitory activity against platelet aggregation induced by AA, compounds 7c, 7d, 8a and 11 b showed significant inhibitory activity against platelet aggregation induced by ADP. Compounds 7c and 8a exhibited good hypolipidemic activities in high-fat-diet(HFD) induced hyperlipidemia C57/BL6 mice and worthy for further investigation.