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Electroacupuncture on stomach 36 point (ST‐36) reduces hypertension through endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity in the stomach meridian
Author(s) -
Pica Arnaldo Michel,
Duran Ricardo G,
Duran Walter N,
Kim David D.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.5.a1152
Subject(s) - enos , endocrinology , electroacupuncture , cheek pouch , medicine , stomach , meridian (astronomy) , nitric oxide , nitric oxide synthase , hamster , stimulation , microcirculation , acupuncture , pathology , alternative medicine , physics , astronomy
Acupuncture has been used in Asia to treat hypertension for a long time. We hypothesized that acupuncture on ST‐36 activates eNOS signaling mechanisms to reduce hypertension. We tested the hypothesis using the hamster two‐kidney, one‐clip renal hypertension (2K1C) model. 30 minute daily electroacupuncture (EA) treatment for 5 days reduced mean arterial pressure from 160.0±7.6 to 129.5±8.8 mmHg (mean±SEM), compared to 115.0±7.2 mmHg in sham‐operated hamsters. We used NO‐sensitive microelectrodes to measure periarteriolar NO concentration. EA increased periarteriolar NO concentration from 82.3±10.2 nM to 135.1±12.6 nM in the 2K1C hamster cheek pouch microcirculation. Hypertension reduced eNOS protein relative to the sham‐operated control, as measured by Western blotting. EA prevented the reduction of eNOS associated with hypertension and showed even higher eNOS expression than the sham‐operated control in stomach and hamster cheek pouch tissues, which are on the stomach meridian. Analysis of liver tissue indicated that EA on ST‐36 caused only a slight increase in eNOS expression in hypertensive animals compared with the non‐treatment 2K1C group. The liver eNOS levels in 2K1C‐treated hamsters were less than in sham‐operated hamsters. We conclude 1) stimulation of eNOS is a mechanism stimulated by ST‐36 elecroacupuncture to reduce blood pressure; 2) ST‐36 elecroacupuncture‐induced reduction of blood pressure works through the stomach meridian (supported by NIH grant 5RO1 HL 70634).