Abstract
Our objective was to investigate the effect of acupuncture at LR3 on cerebral glucose metabolism in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). We used 18F-2-fluoro-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) to examine the effects of acupuncture at LR3 on cerebral glucose metabolism in SHRs. SHRs were randomly allocated to receive no treatment (SHR group), needling at LR3 (SHR + LR3 group), or sham needling (SHR + sham group). Rats received 10 min acupuncture once per day for 7 days and were compared to normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats. Blood pressure (BP) measurement and PET were performed after the first needling and the 7-day treatment period. BP was lower in the SHR + LR3 group compared to the other SHR groups between 30 and 60 min after the first needling and at 24 and 48 h after the 7-day treatment period. Glucose metabolism in the motor, sensory, and visual cortices was decreased in SHR group compared to WKY group. Needling at LR3 was associated with decreased glucose metabolism in the dorsal thalamus, thalamus, and hypothalamus and with increased metabolism in the cerebellar anterior and posterior lobes, medulla oblongata, and sensory cortex compared to the SHR group. These findings suggest that LR3 acupuncture improves hypertension through a mechanism involving altered brain activation in SHRs.
Highlights
Hypertension is characterised by a sustained increase in arterial Blood pressure (BP) and is usually associated with heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, and stroke [1]
SBP and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were higher in the SHR groups than in the Wistar Kyoto (WKY) group (p < 0.05) (Figure 1)
SBP and DBP values remained lower in the SHR + LR3 group compared to the SHR and SHR + sham groups at 24 and 48 h after completion of the 7-day treatment period (p < 0.05) (Figures 1(c) and 1(d))
Summary
Hypertension is characterised by a sustained increase in arterial BP and is usually associated with heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, and stroke [1]. Acupuncture is a complementary approach to BP management. It is an ancient treatment technique in traditional Chinese medicine which has been used for more than 3000 years [3, 4]. Many randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that needling at LR3 regulates essential hypertension in patients [5,6,7], and animal experiments have indicated that moderate stimulation of LR3 has a significant effect on BP of SHRs [8,9,10,11]. Our previous study found that needling at LR3 altered the expression of six proteins in the medulla of SHRs [12]. The exact mechanisms underlying effects of acupuncture on BP remain unclear
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