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Repetitive Electroacupuncture Attenuates Cold‐Induced Hypertension and Simultaneously Enhances rVLM Preproenkephalin mRNA Expression
Author(s) -
Li Min,
Chi Seung Yoon,
TjenALooi Stephanie C,
Longhurst John C
Publication year - 2013
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.27.1_supplement.926.14
Subject(s) - electroacupuncture , medicine , blood pressure , endocrinology , acupuncture , stimulation , anesthesia , alternative medicine , pathology
Acupuncture lowers elevated blood pressure in clinical and experimental hypertension, likely through an opioid mechanism. To mimic human studies, we performed repeated electroacupuncture (EA) on unanesthetized male SD rats (150g) exposed to cold (5¡ãC) for 11 weeks. Systolic tail cuff blood pressures (SBP) were measured weekly. Rats were randomly divided into EA‐hypertension (n=9), sham (n=6) and untreated hypertension groups (n=6) after 6 weeks of cold exposure. Blood pressures measured outside the cold room (25¡ãC) stabilized at an elevated level in the three groups. EA and sham groups received either repetitive EA (1–4 mA, 2 Hz, 0.5 ms) at ST36–37 acupoints (overlying deep peroneal nerve) or sham (needle placement without electrical stimulation) for 30 min twice weekly for 5 weeks. The elevated SBP in the EA group was reduced after 5 sessions and remained low throughout EA treatment (155 ¡À 4 vs. 187 ¡À 3 mmHg EA vs. sham). The relative ratio of preproenkephalin mRNA (normalized to 18s) in rVLM 72 hr after the terminal EA treatment was increased in the EA (14.3¡À1) compared to the sham group (4.3¡À0.5), which was similar to values in the untreated hypertensive rats (4.3¡À0.6). These data suggest that the prolonged inhibitory effect of EA is related to prolonged increases of opioid mRNA expression in the rVLM