Chae Younbyoung, Yeom Mijung, Han Ji-Hee, Park Hi-Joon, Hahm Dae-Hyun, Shim Insop, Lee Hoe-Shik, Lee Hyejung
Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, Kyung Hee University, 1 Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea.
Neurosci Lett. 2008 Jan 10;430(2):98-102. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2007.10.026. Epub 2007 Oct 30.
Acupuncture, likely the most well-known 'alternative' medical treatment, has been shown to have effects in several types of animal model of drug dependence, including nicotine addiction. We investigated the effect of acupuncture on anxiety-like behavior and corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) mRNA expression in the amygdala during nicotine withdrawal. Rats were given repeated nicotine injections (0.1mg/kg s.c., once daily for 7 days) or saline. Acupuncture groups were treated with acupuncture at acupoint HT7 or ST36 during withdrawal. The anxiogenic response was measured at 72h after the termination of nicotine injection using an elevated plus maze. CRF and NPY mRNA levels were also evaluated using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis at this time. Rats undergoing nicotine withdrawal (NW) were less likely to explore the open arms of the plus maze compared with the saline-treated controls. The percentage of open arm entries in the HT7 acupuncture group, but not in the ST36 acupuncture group, was significantly increased compared with the NW group. Consistent with this behavior, CRF mRNA levels in the NW group were increased compared with the control group. CRF mRNA levels in the HT7 acupuncture group were significantly decreased compared with the NW group. However, NPY mRNA levels were not different among the groups. These findings indicate that increases in CRF may be involved in the negative affect state associated with nicotine withdrawal and that acupuncture may attenuate anxiety-like behavior following nicotine withdrawal by modulating CRF in the amygdala.
针灸可能是最广为人知的“替代”医学疗法，已被证明在包括尼古丁成瘾在内的几种药物依赖动物模型中具有作用。我们研究了针灸对尼古丁戒断期间杏仁核中焦虑样行为、促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子（CRF）和神经肽Y（NPY）mRNA表达的影响。给大鼠反复注射尼古丁（0.1mg/kg皮下注射，每天一次，共7天）或生理盐水。在戒断期间，针灸组在穴位HT7或ST36接受针灸治疗。在尼古丁注射终止72小时后，使用高架十字迷宫测量焦虑反应。此时还使用逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）分析评估CRF和NPY mRNA水平。与生理盐水处理的对照组相比，经历尼古丁戒断（NW）的大鼠探索十字迷宫开放臂的可能性较小。与NW组相比，HT7针灸组的开放臂进入百分比显著增加，而ST36针灸组则没有。与这种行为一致，NW组的CRF mRNA水平与对照组相比有所增加。与NW组相比，HT7针灸组的CRF mRNA水平显著降低。然而，各组之间的NPY mRNA水平没有差异。这些发现表明，CRF的增加可能与尼古丁戒断相关的负面情绪状态有关，针灸可能通过调节杏仁核中的CRF来减轻尼古丁戒断后的焦虑样行为。
