Perspective of Calcium Imaging Technology Applied to Acupuncture Research.

Acupuncture, a therapeutic treatment defined as the insertion of needles into the body at specific points (ie, acupoints), has growing in popularity world-wide to treat various diseases effectively, especially acute and chronic pain. In parallel, interest in the physiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture analgesia, particularly the neural mechanisms have been increasing. Over the past decades, our understanding of how the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system process signals induced by acupuncture has developed rapidly by using electrophysiological methods. However, with the development of neuroscience, electrophysiology is being challenged by calcium imaging in view field, neuron population and visualization in vivo. Owing to the outstanding spatial resolution, the novel imaging approaches provide opportunities to enrich our knowledge about the neurophysiological mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia at subcellular, cellular, and circuit levels in combination with new labeling, genetic and circuit tracing techniques. Therefore, this review will introduce the principle and the method of calcium imaging applied to acupuncture research. We will also review the current findings in pain research using calcium imaging from in vitro to in vivo experiments and discuss the potential methodological considerations in studying acupuncture analgesia.

Mechanisms and structure-activity relationships of polysaccharides in the intervention of Alzheimer's disease: A review.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease. Despite several decades of research, the development of effective treatments and responses for Alzheimer's disease remains elusive. The utilization of polysaccharides for Alzheimer's disease became more popular due to their beneficial characteristics, notably their multi-target activity and low toxicity. This review mainly focuses on the researches of recent 5 years in the regulation of AD by naturally derived polysaccharides, systematically lists the possible intervention pathways of polysaccharides from different mechanisms, and explores the structure-activity relationship between polysaccharide structural activities, so as to provide references for the intervention and treatment of AD by polysaccharides.

[Involvement of sympathetic nerve activation in acupoint application induced improvement of gastric ulcer and motility in rats with gastric ulcer].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of mustard oil application at "Liangmen" (ST21) on gastric ulcer (GU) and gastric motility and its association with the sympathetic nerve activity in rats with GU, so as to provide experimental basis for improvement of GU by acupoint application. METHODS: Thirty-nine male SD rats were randomly divided into control (n=7), model, acupoint application (AA), medication (guanethidine, an adrenergic sympathetic antagonist) and AA+medication groups (n=8 in each of the latter 4 groups). The GU model was made by applying acetic acid-immersed filter paper onto the gastric antrum. For rats of the AA and AA+medication groups, 50% mustard oil was applied to left ST21 for 10 min, once a day, for 9 consecutive days. Rats of the medication and AA+medication groups received intraperitoneal injection of guanethidine solution (40 mg/kg) beginning from the modeling day on, once a day for 10 consecutive days. The rat's body weight of each group was recorded on the 0th, 1st, 3rd, 7th and 9th day. The intragastric peristaltic wave frequency and the myoelectrical activity (frequency of slow waves, and integration of fast waves) of the gastric smooth muscle were recorded by using PowerLab data acquisition system. The gastric ulcer area was measured after the rats were executed, and histopathological changes of gastric antrum tissues (histopathological score including epithelial cell injury, submucosal edema, hemorrhagic injury, inflammatory cell infiltration score) were observed after H.E. staining. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the body weight ratio, frequency of gastric peristaltic waves and slow wave frequency of gastric smooth muscle were significantly decreased (P<0.001, P<0.05), while the ulcer area, total histopathological score, epithelial cell injury score, submucosal edema score, hemorrhagic injury score and inflammatory cell infiltration score were significantly increased in the model group (P<0.05, P<0.001). Relevant to the model group, the AA group had a significant increase in the body weight ratio, frequency of gastric peristaltic waves, slow wave frequency, integration of fast waves (P<0.05, P<0.001), and a considerable decrease in the ulcer area, total histopathological score, epithelial cell injury score, submucosal edema score, hemorrhagic injury score and inflammatory cell infiltration score (P<0.05, P<0.001), and the medication group has a significantly decrease in the frequency of gastric peristaltic waves (P<0.05). In comparison with the AA group, the body weight ratio, frequency of gastric peristaltic waves and slow wave frequency of gastric smooth muscle in both medication and AA+medication groups, and the integration of fast waves in the medication group were obviously lower (P<0.05, P<0.001, P<0.01), whereas the levels of ulcer area, total pathological score, submucosal edema score, hemorrhagic injury score and inflammatory cell infiltration score in both medication and AA+medication groups, and the epithelial cell injury score in medication group were significantly higher (P<0.05, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Application of mustard oil at acupoint ST21 can effectively remit GU caused by acetic acid and regulate gastric rhythmic contraction, which was mediated by sympathetic nerve.

[Comparison of effects of routine electroacupuncture and pre-electroacupuncture in improving lung function in acute lung injury rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) and pre-EA at"Taiyuan"(LU9) on histopathological changes, pulmonary ventilation function, pneodynamics, and contents of TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-10 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in rats with acute lung injury (ALI), in order to explore their differences of therapeutic effects. METHODS: A total of 92 male SD rats were randomly divided into control, model, routine EA and pre-EA groups, with 23 rats in each group. The ALI rat model was established by instillation of 0.5% lipopolysaccharide solution (5 mg/kg) intratracheally. EA (3 mA, 10 Hz) was applied to bilateral LU9 for 20 min, once 5 h after modeling for rats of the routine EA group, and once on the 1st, 3rd and 5th day respectively before modeling for rats of the pre-EA group. The pulmonary ventilation functions, including dynamic lung compliance (Cdyn), tidal volume (TV)，minute ventilation volume (MV), lung resistance, peak inspiratory flow (PIF), peak expiratory flow (PEF), were measured by using a small animal lung function detection system. The electromyogram (EMG) of the diaphragm muscle was recorded for observing changes of the total integral electromyogram(iEMG), single iEMG and respiration rate. Pathological changes of the lung tissue were scored after H.E. staining. The contents of TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-10 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the Cdyn, TV, MV and PIF consi-derably decreased (P<0.000 1), and the lung resistance, total iEMG of diaphragm muscle, lung injury score, and contents of TNF-α and IL-1ß were significantly increased (P<0.05, P<0.001, P<0.01) in the model group. In comparison with the model group, the TV, MV and PIF in both routine EA and pre-EA groups,and the Cdyn, total iEMG and single iEMG in the routine EA group, as well as the IL-10 content in the pre-EA group were significantly increased (P<0.01, P<0.001, P<0.05), whereas the lung injury score, and contents of TNF-α and IL-1ß were significantly decreased in the pre-EA group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Both pre-EA and routine EA at LU9 can improve the lung function of ALI model rats. Pre-electroacupuncture is related to local immunoregulation, while electroacupuncture is mainly related to the improvement of pulmonary ventilation function and respiratory motility.

Effects of Stephania hainanensis alkaloids on MSU-induced acute gouty arthritis in mice.

BACKGROUND: Gout is initiated by the precipitation of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals within the joints and soft tissues, and it can eventually cause acute or chronic arthritis. MSU crystals trigger, amplify, and maintain a strong inflammatory response through promoting proinflammatory activity. In this study, the therapeutic effects of Stephania hainanensis (S. hainanensis) total alkaloid (SHA) were tested and evaluated on MSU-induced acute gouty arthritis in a mouse model. METHODS: After oral administration of SHA (10 or 20 mg/kg) or the antigout medicine colchicine (0.5 mg/kg) once daily for 3 consecutive days, MSU crystals suspended in saline (2.5 mg/50 µl) were intradermally injected into the right paw of the mice. Then, SHA and colchicine were administered for another 2 days. During this period, swelling of the ankle and clinical scores were measured at 12, 24, and 48 h postinjection. After the mice were euthanized, inflammatory cytokine expression and paw tissue inflammation-related gene and protein expression, and a histopathological analysis was performed. RESULTS: SHA had obvious therapeutic effects on MSU-induced acute gouty arthritis in mice. SHA alleviated ankle swelling and inhibited the production of cytokines, such as IL-1ß and TNF-α. In addition, NLRP3, Caspase-1 and IL-1ß, which are activated by MSU were also suppressed by SHA. The histological evaluation showed that SHA relieved the infiltration of inflammation around the ankle. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that SHA is capable of anti-inflammatory activities and may be useful for treating gouty arthritis.