Park Hyun-Jung, Kim Hee Young, Hahm Dae-Hyun, Lee Hyejung, Kim Kyung-Soo, Shim Insop
Department of Integrative Medicine, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 137-701, Korea.
Neurol Res. 2010 Feb;32 Suppl 1:111-5. doi: 10.1179/016164109X12537002794480.
Acupuncture has been used for the treatment and prevention of stress-related disorders. In the present study, the effect of electroacupuncture on the behavioral and biochemical responses to restraint stress was evaluated in rats.
Sprague-Dawley male rats underwent immobilization stress for 21 days (6 hours/day). Electroacupuncture (2 Hz, 2 mA and 10 minutes) was applied either to the acupuncture point ST36 (Joksamni) or the non-acupuncture point in the tail for the last 7 days. Rats were randomly divided into four groups: the normal group (n=10, without the restraint stress), the stress group (n=10, with restraint stress), the ST36 group (n=10, with restraint stress and electroacupuncture to ST36) and the non-acupuncture group (n=10, with restraint stress and electroacupuncture to the non-acupuncture point). The anxiety-related behavior was tested using the elevated plus maze and the Vogel test on day 22. The serum concentration of corticosterone was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. The expression of tyrosine hydroxylase in the locus coeruleus was measured by immunohistochemistry.
Restraint stress increased the response of the anxiety-related behavior. The serum level of corticosterone and the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive cells were also increased. The ST36 group showed a significant decrease of anxiety-related behavioral response, compared with the stress group. The serum corticosterone level and tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive expression were also decreased in the ST36 group.
These findings suggest that electroacupuncture to ST36 might play a role in reducing the stress-related responses, which may be helpful for the treatment of stress-related disorders.
针灸已被用于治疗和预防与压力相关的疾病。在本研究中，评估了电针刺激对大鼠束缚应激行为和生化反应的影响。
将Sprague-Dawley雄性大鼠进行21天（每天6小时）的固定应激。在最后7天，对穴位ST36（足三里）或尾巴上的非穴位进行电针刺激（2赫兹，2毫安，10分钟）。大鼠被随机分为四组：正常组（n = 10，无束缚应激）、应激组（n = 10，有束缚应激）、ST36组（n = 10，有束缚应激并电针刺激ST36）和非穴位组（n = 10，有束缚应激并电针刺激非穴位）。在第22天使用高架十字迷宫和Vogel试验测试与焦虑相关的行为。使用酶联免疫吸附测定试剂盒测定血清皮质酮浓度。通过免疫组织化学测量蓝斑中酪氨酸羟化酶的表达。
束缚应激增加了与焦虑相关行为的反应。血清皮质酮水平和酪氨酸羟化酶免疫反应性细胞数量也增加。与应激组相比，ST36组显示与焦虑相关的行为反应显著降低。ST36组的血清皮质酮水平和酪氨酸羟化酶免疫反应性表达也降低。
这些发现表明，对ST36进行电针刺激可能在减轻与压力相关的反应中发挥作用，这可能有助于治疗与压力相关的疾病。
