

ACUPUNCTURE AND MOXIBUSTION AND NEURAL REGENERATION Year : 2013 | Volume : 8 | Issue : 9 | Page : 802-808

Electroacupuncture diminishes P2X 2 and P2X 3 purinergic receptor expression in dorsal root ganglia of rats with visceral hypersensitivity



Zhijun Weng1, Luyi Wu1, Yuan Lu1, Lidong Wang1, Linying Tan1, Ming Dong1, Yuhu Xin2

1 Shanghai Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China

2 Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China



Date of Submission 18-Jun-2012 Date of Acceptance 22-Feb-2013 Date of Web Publication 21-Nov-2013

Correspondence Address:

Yuhu Xin

Technician-in- charge, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032

China

Source of Support: This project was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30973783; the Shanghai Municipal Scientific Committee Project, No. 11ZR1434300; and the Key Subject Program of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine., Conflict of Interest: None Check

DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.09.004



Abstract

Abstract

Electroacupuncture at Shangjuxu (ST37) and Tianshu (ST25) can improve visceral hypersensitivity in rats. Colorectal distension was used to establish a rat model of chronic visceral hypersensitivity. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect P2X 2 and P2X 3 receptor expression in dorsal root ganglia from rats with chronic visceral hypersensitivity. Results demonstrated that abdominal withdrawal reflex scores obviously increased following establishment of the model, indicating visceral hypersensitivity. Simultaneously, P2X 2 and P2X 3 receptor expression increased in dorsal root ganglia. After bilateral electroacupuncture at Shangjuxu and Tianshu, abdominal withdrawal reflex scores and P2X 2 and P2X 3 receptor expression decreased in rats with visceral hypersensitivity. These results indicated that electroacupuncture treatment improved visceral hypersensitivity in rats with irritable bowel syndrome by reducing P2X 2 and P2X 3 receptor expression in dorsal root ganglia.

(1) P2X 2 and P2X 3 receptors participated in visceral hypersensitivity in primary afferent neurons of dorsal root ganglia in rats.

(2) Electroacupuncture reduced visceral hypersensitivity in rats with chronic visceral hypersensitivity.

(3) Electroacupuncture improved visceral hypersensitivity in rats with chronic visceral hypersensitivity by regulating P2X 2 and P2X 3 receptor expression in dorsal root ganglia.

Keywords: neural regeneration, acupuncture and moxibustion, P2X 2 , P2X 3 , visceral hypersensitivity, irritable bowel syndrome, electroacupuncture, P2 purinergic receptors, abdominal withdrawal reflex scores, acupuncture and moxibustion, peripheral nerve injury, grants-supported paper, photographs-containing paper, neuroregeneration

How to cite this article:

Weng Z, Wu L, Lu Y, Wang L, Tan L, Dong M, Xin Y. Electroacupuncture diminishes P2X 2 and P2X 3 purinergic receptor expression in dorsal root ganglia of rats with visceral hypersensitivity. Neural Regen Res 2013;8:802-8

How to cite this URL:

Weng Z, Wu L, Lu Y, Wang L, Tan L, Dong M, Xin Y. Electroacupuncture diminishes P2X 2 and P2X 3 purinergic receptor expression in dorsal root ganglia of rats with visceral hypersensitivity. Neural Regen Res [serial online] 2013 [cited 2020 Sep 21];8:802-8. Available from: http://www.nrronline.org/text.asp?2013/8/9/802/121804

Zhijun Weng, Master.

Zhijun Weng and Luyi Wu contributed equally to this paper.

Acknowledgments: We thank associate researchers Yunhua Cui and Xiaomei Wang from Shanghai Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China for drafting the manuscript.

Author contributions: Yuhu Xin participated in study concept and design. Zhijun Weng, Yuan Lu, Lidong Wang and Ming Dong performed model establishment, collected samples and detected indexes. Zhijun Weng and Luyi Wu performed data analysis and wrote the manuscript. Yuhu Xin and Linying Tan provided technical and data support. All authors have read and agreed to the manuscript as written.

Ethical approval: This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China.

Author statements: The manuscript is original, has not been submitted to or is not under consideration by another publication, has not been previously published in any language or any form, including electronic, and contains no disclosure of confidential information or authorship/patent application/funding source disputations.

Introduction

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Results

Figure 1: Effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) scores in rats.

High AWR score represents high visceral hypersensitivity. Data are expressed as mean ± SD, eight rats in each group. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the intergroup difference. aP < 0.01, vs. normal group (NC); bP < 0.05, vs. model group (MC).



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Figure 2: Effect of electroacupuncture on P2X 2 receptor expression in rat dorsal root ganglia.

(A) Immunohistochemistry of P2X 2 receptor expression in the dorsal root ganglia from experimental rats (× 200). Arrows show P2X 2 receptor expression. (A1-3) Normal group (NC), model group (MC) and electroacupuncture group (EA), respectively.

(B) P2X 2 receptor expression. Data are expressed as mean ± SD; eight rats in each group. aP < 0.01, vs. NC; bP < 0.05, vs. MC. Least significant difference t-test was used for intergroup comparison.



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Figure 3: Effect of electroacupuncture on P2X 3 receptor expression in rat dorsal root ganglia.

(A) Immunohistochemistry of P2X 3 receptor expression in rat dorsal root ganglia (× 200). Arrows show P2X 3 receptor expression. (A1-3) Normal group (NC), model group (MC) and electroacupuncture group (EA), respectively.

(B) P2X 3 receptor expression. Data are expressed as mean ± SD; eight rats in each group. aP < 0.01, vs. NC; bP < 0.05, vs. MC. Least significant difference t-test was used for intergroup comparison.



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Discussion

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Materials and methods

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