Clinical Research
Copyright ©2005 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 21, 2005; 11(35): 5517-5520
Published online Sep 21, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i35.5517
Acupuncture therapy for experimental stomach ulcer and c-Fos expression in rats
Hong Wang, Chun-Yang Wang, Jin-Shan Zhang, Lan Sun, Jing-Ping Sun, Qing-Hua Tian, Xiang-Lan Jin, Ling Yin
Hong Wang, Jing-Ping Sun, Qing-Hua Tian, Xiang-Lan Jin, Ling Yin, Neuroinformatics Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China
Chun-Yang Wang, Department of Urology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China
Jin-Shan Zhang, Lan Sun, Department of Embryology and Histology, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710032, Shaanxi Province, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30171135; National Key Program for Basic Research of China, No. 2001CCA00700
Correspondence to: Professor Ling Yin, 28 Fuxing Road, Institute of Neurology Neuroinformatics Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China. yinling1955@sina.com
Telephone: +86-10-66937546 Fax: +86-10-88271317
Received: March 3, 2004
Revised: August 27, 2004
Accepted: August 30, 2004
Published online: September 21, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To determine the role of acupuncture therapy in treating experimental gastric ulcer in rats.

METHODS: Twenty-eight adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (pre-acupuncture group; acupuncture group; paradistance-acupuncture group; and control group), and pre-acupuncture, paradistance-acupuncture, and control groups received 5 μL acetic acid (200 mL/L HAc) injection after a same course of electroacupuncture (EA) treatment (4 Hz, 0.6 mA, 0.45 ms, 45 min for 4 d). The rats in these three groups recovered within 4 d. The acupuncture group received EA therapy for 4 d, after HAc injection. The stomach was dissected to compare the pathological structures of ulcer. Also c-Fos activation in the nuclei of solitary tract (NTS) was observed under microscope after regular immunohistochemistry staining of brain stem sections.

RESULTS: The number of ulcers was different among the four groups, especially between control group and paradistance-acupuncture group or pre-acupuncture group. In the latter group, the number of ulcers was much less. The gastric ulcer area was consistent with the histopathological results, indicating that pre-acupuncture had an obvious therapeutic effect on gastric ulcers. Acupuncture had a very modest effect and paradistance-acupuncture had no effect on gastric ulcers. No therapeutic effect was found in the control group. Fos-Li neurons in NTS induced by noxious gastric ulcer showed a significant difference between pre-acupuncture and control groups.

CONCLUSION: Acupuncture before ulceration can obviously alleviate ulcer. The production of c-Fos proves that the vagus nerve mediates the induction of c-Fos in nuclei of solitary tract following experimental ulceration, suggesting that parasympathetic afferents promote the process of noxious visceral stimulation.

Keywords: Zusanli acupuncture; Ulceration; c-Fos; Nucleus of solitary tract