Subject(s)
Neuritis/pathology , Peripheral Nervous System Diseases/drug therapy , Phytotherapy , Plant Preparations/therapeutic use , Tripterygium , Aged , Female , Humans , Nerve Degeneration , Peripheral Nerves/pathology , Peripheral Nerves/ultrastructure , Peripheral Nervous System Diseases/pathology , Sural Nerve/pathology , Sural Nerve/ultrastructureABSTRACT
The aim of the present work is to observe changes in endothelium-derived factors--nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin (ET), with special reference to the regulative role of electroacupuncture (EA) in injured gastric mucosa of rat by ethanol. It was found that gastric mucosal blood flow (GMBF), transmucosal potential difference (PD) and the content of NO in the serum all decreased (P < 0.01), while the content of ET in the plasma and the lesion index (LI) of gastric mucosa increased (P < 0.01). After administration of L-Arg and SNP, the content of NO and GMBF increased significantly (P < 0.01), whereas the content of ET and LI decreased (P < 0.01). These effects were enhanced by EA at ZuSanLi (ST-36) points, which, however, were inhibited by NO biosynthetic inhibitor--L-NNA. The latter effect could be reversed by concurrent administration of L-Arg. The above results suggest that NO plays a critical part in protecting gastric mucosa against injury, which is also responsible for the protective effect of EA on injury of gastric mucosa.
