Possible involvement of histamine, dopamine, and noradrenalin in the periaqueductal gray in electroacupuncture pain relief.

Acupuncture and electroacupuncture are used in pain relief; however, the mechanism underlying the analgesic effect of acupuncture is unclear. Several lines of evidence propose that the periaqueductal gray (PAG), which is one of the regions that contributes to the endogenous pain inhibitory system, is involved in the analgesic effect of acupuncture, and the region receives several neural projections such as histamine and noradrenalin and contains the dopamine cell bodies. The current study examined the effects of electroacupuncture at Zusanli (ST36) and Shangjuxu (ST37) acupoints, which are used for clinical pain control, on the release of neurotransmitters in the PAG in rats. Histamine and dopamine release was increased after pain stimulus, while the changes were completely abolished by electroacupuncture. Pain stimulus had no effect on noradrenalin release, but electroacupuncture increased its release. These findings indicate that acupuncture at Zusanli and Shangjuxu exerts an antinociceptive effect via the activation of neurons in the PAG and that the histaminergic, dopaminergic, and noradrenalinergic systems in the PAG are related to electroacupuncture-induced pain relief.

Immunomodulating Activity of Agaricus brasiliensis KA21 in Mice and in Human Volunteers.

We performed studies on murine models and human volunteers to examine the immunoenhancing effects of the naturally outdoor-cultivated fruit body of Agaricus brasiliensis KA21 (i.e. Agaricus blazei). Antitumor, leukocyte-enhancing, hepatopathy-alleviating and endotoxin shock-alleviating effects were found in mice. In the human study, percentage body fat, percentage visceral fat, blood cholesterol level and blood glucose level were decreased, and natural killer cell activity was increased. Taken together, the results strongly suggest that the A. brasiliensis fruit body is useful as a health-promoting food.

1-Aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid, an antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, causes hypotensive and antioxidant effects with upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

1-Aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid (ACPC) has been shown to protect neurons against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity by reducing N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation. Recent studies have demonstrated that several antagonists of NMDA receptors have important cardiovascular effects. In this study, we examined whether the cardiovascular effects of ACPC involve the role of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and its antioxidant effect in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). Male SHRSP were divided into two groups: a control group and an ACPC group administered ACPC at 50 mg/kg per day for 4 weeks by peritoneal injection. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and mortality of stroke were significantly lower in the ACPC group than in the control group. Urinary Na(+) and Cl(-) excretion and plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were increased in the ACPC group. Western analysis detected proteins that were immunoreactive to anti-nitrotyrosine antibody and showed lower levels of expression in the cerebral cortex compared to that in the control group. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) formation in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex was reduced in the ACPC group. Quantitative reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) showed that administration of ACPC also significantly decreased the expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) mRNA in the hippocampus and endotherial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) mRNA in the cerebral cortex, and drastically increased HO-1 mRNA in the cerebral cortex. Enhanced HO-1 staining on sections from the hippocampus and cerebral cortex was observed in the ACPC group. These data suggest that the normalization by ACPC of blood pressure elevation and mortality of stroke involves induction of the expression of HO-1, which exerts antioxidant and vascular relaxation effects, in SHRSP.