Electroacupuncture Upregulated Ghrelin in Rats with Functional Dyspepsia via AMPK/TSC2/Rheb-Mediated mTOR Inhibition.
Dig Dis Sci
; 65(6): 1689-1699, 2020 06.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31863340
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Gastrointestinal motility disorder is an important pathological basis for functional dyspepsia (FD). Epigastric ache and discomfort are the main symptoms of FD, and ghrelin deficiency is closely related to the occurrence and development of FD. While electroacupuncture (EA) alleviated the symptoms of FD patients and improved their quality of life, there is a lack of sufficient mechanistic evidence to support these beneficial effects.METHODS:
An in vivo FD model was established in wild-type and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) knockout (-/-) rats. FD rats were subjected to EA with or without mTOR agonists or inhibitors. Gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion were assessed, and pathological changes in the hypothalamus, gastric antrum, and small intestine were examined histologically. In addition, ghrelin expression and AMPK/TSC2/Rheb/mTOR activation were detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot.RESULTS:
EA alone or in combination with mTOR inhibitors improved gastrointestinal function in FD rats by increasing the rates of intestinal propulsion and gastric emptying, and pathological changes in the hypothalamus, gastric antrum, and small intestine were alleviated. This may be related to the significant upregulation of ghrelin expression and the effective activation of the AMPK/TSC2/Rheb/mTOR signaling pathway. Interestingly, EA also improved gastrointestinal function and ghrelin expression in mTOR (-/-) KO FD rats.CONCLUSION:
Altering the level of ghrelin by regulating AMPK/TSC2/Rheb-mediated mTOR inhibition is an important way through which EA treats FD. The complex EA-mediated regulatory mechanisms of the brain-gut axis still require further exploration.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Medicinas Tradicionais:
Medicinas_tradicionales_de_asia
/
Medicina_china
Métodos Terapêuticos e Terapias MTCI:
Terapias_energeticas
Assunto principal:
Eletroacupuntura
/
Adenilato Quinase
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Dispepsia
/
Grelina
/
Proteína Enriquecida em Homólogo de Ras do Encéfalo
/
Proteína 2 do Complexo Esclerose Tuberosa
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
/
Prognostic_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Dig Dis Sci
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
China