The specific mechanisms by which acupuncture affects the central nervous system are unclear. In the International Standard Scalp Acupuncture system, acupuncture needles are applied at the middle line of the vertex, an...The specific mechanisms by which acupuncture affects the central nervous system are unclear. In the International Standard Scalp Acupuncture system, acupuncture needles are applied at the middle line of the vertex, anterior parietal-temporal oblique line, and the posterior parietal-temporal oblique line. We conducted a single-arm prospective clinical trial in which seven healthy elderly volunteers (three men and four women;50–70 years old) received International Standard Scalp Acupuncture at MS5 (the mid-sagittal line between Baihui (DU20) and Qianding (DU21)), the left MS6 (line joining Sishencong (EX-HN1) and Xuanli (GB6)), and the left MS7 (line joining DU20 and Qubin (GB7)). After acupuncture, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated changes in the fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations and regional homogeneity in various areas, showing remarkable enhancement of regional homogeneity in the bilateral anterior cingulate, left medial frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, and inferior frontal gyrus. Functional connectivity based on a seed region at the right middle frontal gyrus (42, 51, 9) decreased at the bilateral medial superior frontal gyrus. Our data preliminarily indicates that the international standard scalp acupuncture in healthy elderly participants specifcally enhances the correlation between the brain regions involved in cognition and implementation of the brain network regulation system and the surrounding adjacent brain regions. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the China-Japan Union Hospital at Jilin University, China, on July 18, 2016 (approval No. 2016ks043).展开更多
Objective To investigate the influence of electroacupuncture(EA)on ghrelin and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/endothelial nitric oxide synthase(PI3K/Akt/eNOS)signaling pathway in spontaneously hyperten...Objective To investigate the influence of electroacupuncture(EA)on ghrelin and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/endothelial nitric oxide synthase(PI3K/Akt/eNOS)signaling pathway in spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHRs).Methods Eight Wistar-Kyoto rats were used as the healthy blood pressure(BP)control(normal group),and 32 SHRs were randomized into model group,EA group,EA plus ghrelin group(EA+G group),and EA plus PF04628935 group(a potent ghrelin receptor blocker;EA+P group)using a random number table.Rats in the normal group and model group did not receive treatment,but were immobilized for 20 min per day,5 times a week,for 4 continuous weeks.SHRs in the EA group,EA+G group and EA+P group were immobilized and given EA treatment in 20 min sessions,5 times per week,for 4 weeks.Additionally,1 h before EA,SHRs in the EA+G group and EA+P group were intraperitoneally injected with ghrelin or PF04628935,respectively,for 4 weeks.The tail-cuff method was used to measure BP.After the 4-week intervention,the rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation,and pathological morphology of the abdominal aorta was observed using hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to detect the levels of ghrelin,nitric oxide(NO),endothelin-1(ET-1)and thromboxane A2(TXA2)in the serum.Isolated thoracic aortic ring experiment was performed to evaluate vasorelaxation.Western blot was used to measure the expression of PI3K,Akt,phosphorylated Akt(p-Akt)and eNOS proteins in the abdominal aorta.Further,quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)was conducted to measure the relative levels of mRNA expression for PI3K,Akt and eNOS in the abdominal aorta.Results EA significantly reduced the systolic BP(SBP)and diastolic BP(DBP)(P<0.05).HE staining showed that EA improved the morphology of the vascular endothelium to some extent.Results of ELISA indicated that higher concentrations of ghrelin and NO,and lower concentrations of ET-1 and TXA2 were present in the EA group(P<0.05).The isolated thoracic aortic ring experiment demonstrated that the vasodilation capacity of the thoracic aorta increased in the EA group.Results of Western blot and qRT-PCR showed that EA increased the abundance of PI3K,p-Akt/Akt and eNOS proteins,as well as expression levels of PI3K,Akt and eNOS mRNAs(P<0.05).In the EA+G group,SBP and DBP decreased(P<0.05),ghrelin concentrations increased(P<0.05),and the concentrations of ET-1 and TXA2 decreased(P<0.05),relative to the EA group.In addition,the levels of PI3K and eNOS proteins,the p-Akt/Akt ratio,and the expression of PI3K,Akt and eNOS mRNAs increased significantly in the EA+G group(P<0.05),while PF04628935 reversed these effects.Conclusion EA effectively reduced BP and protected the vascular endothelium,and these effects may be linked to promoting the release of ghrelin and activation of the PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway.展开更多
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81403455(to JQC)
文摘The specific mechanisms by which acupuncture affects the central nervous system are unclear. In the International Standard Scalp Acupuncture system, acupuncture needles are applied at the middle line of the vertex, anterior parietal-temporal oblique line, and the posterior parietal-temporal oblique line. We conducted a single-arm prospective clinical trial in which seven healthy elderly volunteers (three men and four women;50–70 years old) received International Standard Scalp Acupuncture at MS5 (the mid-sagittal line between Baihui (DU20) and Qianding (DU21)), the left MS6 (line joining Sishencong (EX-HN1) and Xuanli (GB6)), and the left MS7 (line joining DU20 and Qubin (GB7)). After acupuncture, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated changes in the fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations and regional homogeneity in various areas, showing remarkable enhancement of regional homogeneity in the bilateral anterior cingulate, left medial frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, and inferior frontal gyrus. Functional connectivity based on a seed region at the right middle frontal gyrus (42, 51, 9) decreased at the bilateral medial superior frontal gyrus. Our data preliminarily indicates that the international standard scalp acupuncture in healthy elderly participants specifcally enhances the correlation between the brain regions involved in cognition and implementation of the brain network regulation system and the surrounding adjacent brain regions. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the China-Japan Union Hospital at Jilin University, China, on July 18, 2016 (approval No. 2016ks043).
基金This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81704137.No.82074516,and No.82104976)sichuan Science and Technology Department(No.2019YJ0331)Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine(No.ZRQN2020022).
文摘Objective To investigate the influence of electroacupuncture(EA)on ghrelin and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/endothelial nitric oxide synthase(PI3K/Akt/eNOS)signaling pathway in spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHRs).Methods Eight Wistar-Kyoto rats were used as the healthy blood pressure(BP)control(normal group),and 32 SHRs were randomized into model group,EA group,EA plus ghrelin group(EA+G group),and EA plus PF04628935 group(a potent ghrelin receptor blocker;EA+P group)using a random number table.Rats in the normal group and model group did not receive treatment,but were immobilized for 20 min per day,5 times a week,for 4 continuous weeks.SHRs in the EA group,EA+G group and EA+P group were immobilized and given EA treatment in 20 min sessions,5 times per week,for 4 weeks.Additionally,1 h before EA,SHRs in the EA+G group and EA+P group were intraperitoneally injected with ghrelin or PF04628935,respectively,for 4 weeks.The tail-cuff method was used to measure BP.After the 4-week intervention,the rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation,and pathological morphology of the abdominal aorta was observed using hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to detect the levels of ghrelin,nitric oxide(NO),endothelin-1(ET-1)and thromboxane A2(TXA2)in the serum.Isolated thoracic aortic ring experiment was performed to evaluate vasorelaxation.Western blot was used to measure the expression of PI3K,Akt,phosphorylated Akt(p-Akt)and eNOS proteins in the abdominal aorta.Further,quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)was conducted to measure the relative levels of mRNA expression for PI3K,Akt and eNOS in the abdominal aorta.Results EA significantly reduced the systolic BP(SBP)and diastolic BP(DBP)(P<0.05).HE staining showed that EA improved the morphology of the vascular endothelium to some extent.Results of ELISA indicated that higher concentrations of ghrelin and NO,and lower concentrations of ET-1 and TXA2 were present in the EA group(P<0.05).The isolated thoracic aortic ring experiment demonstrated that the vasodilation capacity of the thoracic aorta increased in the EA group.Results of Western blot and qRT-PCR showed that EA increased the abundance of PI3K,p-Akt/Akt and eNOS proteins,as well as expression levels of PI3K,Akt and eNOS mRNAs(P<0.05).In the EA+G group,SBP and DBP decreased(P<0.05),ghrelin concentrations increased(P<0.05),and the concentrations of ET-1 and TXA2 decreased(P<0.05),relative to the EA group.In addition,the levels of PI3K and eNOS proteins,the p-Akt/Akt ratio,and the expression of PI3K,Akt and eNOS mRNAs increased significantly in the EA+G group(P<0.05),while PF04628935 reversed these effects.Conclusion EA effectively reduced BP and protected the vascular endothelium,and these effects may be linked to promoting the release of ghrelin and activation of the PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway.
