Abstract
Our previous study showed that mossy fiber sprouting can occur in the hippocampus region in rats 6 wk after kainic acid-induced epileptic seizure, and this mossy fiber sprouting can facilitate epileptogenesis. Transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (VNS), which is similar to cervical VNS, can reduce the occurrence of epileptic seizure in intractable epilepsy patients. Greater parasympathetic nerve activity can be caused by 2 Hz electroacupuncture (EA). Therefore, we investigated the effect of 2 Hz EA at ST-36-ST37 and at the ear on mossy fiber sprouting in kainic-treated Sprague-Dawley rats. The results indicated that applying 2 Hz EA at ST36-ST37 and at the ear for 3 d per week over 6 consecutive weeks can ameliorate mossy fiber sprouting in the hippocampus region of rats. These results indicated that applying 2 Hz EA at ST36-ST37 and at the ear might be beneficial for the treatment and prevention of epilepsy in humans.
Highlights
Our previous study showed that mossy fiber sprouting can be observed in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in rats at 6 wk after intraperitoneal injection of kainic acid (KA) [1]
The results of this study indicated that the optical density (OD) values of the mossy fiber sprouting were greater in the Control group (CG) than in the Normal group (NG), Zusanli group (ZG), Ear group (EG), and Sham group (SG)
The wet dog shakes (WDS), facial myoclonia (FM), and paw tremor (PT) counts were similar between 2 groups in the CG, ZG, EG, and SG prior to the EA treatment, indicating that the baseline was identical among these groups
Summary
Our previous study showed that mossy fiber sprouting can be observed in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in rats at 6 wk after intraperitoneal injection of kainic acid (KA) [1]. Transcutaneous auricular VNS can reduce the occurrence of seizure in pediatric patients with intractable epilepsy [8], BioMed Research International and auricular acupuncture can cause parasympathetic tone [9]. Our previous study showed that applying 2 Hz electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation to the bilateral Zusanli (ST36) and Shangjuxu (ST37) points can reduce the pulse rate, indicating that this application might enhance parasympathetic activity [11]. This study investigated how applying 2 Hz EA at ST36-ST37 and at the ear affects mossy fiber sprouting and hippocampal neuronal cells in KA-induced epileptic rats
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