Department of Acupuncture and Rehabilitation, Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Guangxing Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University), Hangzhou 310007, China.
Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, The Third Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.
J Tradit Chin Med. 2019 Apr;39(2):221-228.
To investigate the influence of electroacupuncture (EA) on experimentally induced endolymphatic hydrops (EH) in guinea pigs, and elucidate the association between the dehydrating effect of EA and changes in stria vascularis ultrastructure and expression of vasopressin type 2 receptor (V2R), cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), and aquaporin 2 (AQP2) in the endolymphatic sac (ES).
The EH model was established by intraperitoneal injection of arginine vasopressin (AVP). As a treatment, EA was delivered to Baihui (GV 20) and Tinggong (SI 19) acupoints, once daily for 10 consecutive days. For histomorphological studies, degree of cochlear hydrops was evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin staining, and the ratio of scala media (SM) area to SM + scala vestibuli area was calculated. In mechanical studies, ultrastructural changes in stria vascularis tissue were examined by transmission electron microscopy. In addition, cAMP levels and mRNA expression levels of V2R and AQP2 in the ES were compared among groups.
EA treatment significantly reduced cochlear hydrops compared with hydropic guinea pigs (P = 0.015). Furthermore, EA attenuated ultrastructural changes in the stria vascularis tissue following EH, significantly upregulated the expression of V2R (P = 0.016), and attenuated AVP-induced upregulation of both cAMP (P = 0.038) and AQP2 expression (P = 0.017) in the ES.
Collectively, the results of the present study suggest that the dehydrating effect of EA is associated with improvement of stria vascularis ultrastructure and V2R-cAMP-AQP2 signaling pathway regulation in the ES.
探讨电针对实验性内淋巴积水（EH）豚鼠的影响，并阐明电针的脱水作用与内淋巴管囊（ES）中血管纹超微结构和血管加压素 2 型受体（V2R）、环磷酸腺苷（cAMP）和水通道蛋白 2（AQP2）表达变化之间的关系。
通过腹腔注射血管加压素建立 EH 模型。作为一种治疗方法，每天一次对百会（GV 20）和听宫（SI 19）穴位进行电针治疗，连续 10 天。对于组织形态学研究，通过苏木精-伊红染色评估耳蜗积水程度，并计算中阶（SM）面积与 SM +前庭阶面积的比值。在力学研究中，通过透射电镜观察血管纹组织的超微结构变化。此外，比较 ES 中 cAMP 水平和 V2R 和 AQP2 的 mRNA 表达水平。
与水肿豚鼠相比，电针治疗显著降低了耳蜗积水（P = 0.015）。此外，电针减轻了 EH 后血管纹组织的超微结构变化，显著上调了 V2R 的表达（P = 0.016），并减弱了 AVP 诱导的 ES 中 cAMP（P = 0.038）和 AQP2 表达（P = 0.017）的上调。
综上所述，本研究结果提示，电针的脱水作用与 ES 中血管纹超微结构和 V2R-cAMP-AQP2 信号通路调节的改善有关。
