title: Effect of electroacupuncture on the level of preproenkephalin mRNA in rat during penicillin-induced epilepsy.
abstract: Our previous studies have shown that seizure induced by injecting penicillin (0.24 mg/2 microliters) into hippocampus could be inhibited by electroacupuncture (EA) probably via decreasing enkephalin content in hippocampus. To determine whether this change reflected the peptide synthesis, preproenkephalin (PPE) mRNA was detected in hippocampus and some other limbic structures during seizure and after EA treatment by in situ hybridization. Four hours after injecting penicillin into hippocampus, PPE mRNA levels were significantly increased by 10 folds in entorhinal cortex, subiculum, CA1 area of hippocampus, amygdaloid nucleus and piriform cortex, whereas EA treatment apparently attenuated the seizure-induced increase of PPE mRNA in the areas mentioned above. The results indicated that EA may regulate the biosynthesis of PPE in hippocampus during seizure by an alteration in gene transcription.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Acupuncture Research, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D004745:Enkephalins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010406:Penicillins; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D004745:Enkephalins; D010406:Penicillins; D011498:Protein Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C033660:preproenkephalin