Abstract
Using spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), this study investigated whether electroacupuncture (EA) could reduce early stage hypertension by examining nitric oxide (NO) levels in plasma and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) levels in the mesenteric resistance artery. EA was applied to the acupuncture point Governor Vessel 20 (GV20) or to a non-acupuncture point in the tail twice weekly for 3 weeks under anesthesia. In conscious SHR and normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats, blood pressure was determined the day after EA treatment by the tail-cuff method. We measured plasma NO concentration, and evaluated endothelial NO syntheses (eNOS) and neuronal NOS (nNOS) protein expression in the mesenteric artery. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were lower after 3 weeks of GV20 treatment than EA at non-acupuncture point and no treatment control in SHR. nNOS expression by EA was significantly different between both WKY and no treatment SHR control, and EA at GV20 in SHR. eNOS expression was significantly high in EA at GV 20 compared with no treatment control. In conclusion, EA could attenuate the blood pressure elevation of SHR, along with enhancing NO/NOS activity in the mesenteric artery in SHR.
Highlights
Electroacupuncture (EA) inhibits sympathetic effects by regulation of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression in the central nervous system [1,2,3]
After measuring blood pressure (BP), spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were randomly divided into three groups: untreated group (n = 6), EA at Governor Vessel 20 (GV20) (n = 6) and EA at non-acupuncture points group (n = 6)
The main findings of this study were that long-term treatment with EA delayed hypertension development, and this restored NO in the plasma of SHR
Summary
Electroacupuncture (EA) inhibits sympathetic effects by regulation of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression in the central nervous system [1,2,3]. In spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and other animals with genetic hypertension, morphological or functional changes within the arterial wall may result in an increased peripheral vascular resistance, thereby leading to hypertension [5, 6]. These processes in SHR bear a resemblance to that of essential hypertension in humans. SHR are a beneficial model to investigate the mechanism of action responsible for the effects of acupuncture in the treatment of essential hypertension
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