Electroacupuncture stimulation suppresses the increase in alcohol-drinking behavior in restricted rats.
BACKGROUND
Although a number of studies on traditional eastern or Chinese medicine, such as acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal drugs, have been reported, few reports describe electroacupuncture (EAC) effects on drug- and alcohol-seeking behaviors in animal models. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of EAC on changes in alcohol-drinking behavior in rats challenged with restriction and immobilization stress.


METHODS
Male Sprague Dawley rats (260-280 g) were tightly hung and immobilized in restriction models for 10 min. These immobilization stresses were performed twice a week for 1 week and for 3 consecutive weeks for the short- and long-restricted stress groups, respectively. EAC was applied for 10 min to the hindlimb point, Tsu-San-Li (ST 36), and the lumbar point, Shen-Shu (BL 23). These points are used to treat mental and psychosomatic disorders and are known clinically to produce a sedation effect. Time-access alcohol-drinking behavior was determined at 24 hr after the termination of EAC. Finally, brain dopamine (DA) levels were assayed in the two groups. A sham-control group underwent only restricted stress without EAC.


RESULTS
Time-access alcohol-drinking behavior increased significantly in the long-restricted group compared with the short-restricted group and controls. EAC applied to the ST 36 (Tsu-San-Li) point suppressed the increased alcohol-drinking behavior in restricted rats. However, EAC applied to the Shen-Shu (BL 23) point was not effective, because alcohol-drinking behavior was significantly increased in long-restricted rats compared with short-restricted rats. Striatal DA levels of restricted rats with EAC stimulated at Tsu-San-Li were increased significantly compared with the rats with EAC applied to the Shen-Shu point.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that EAC applied at ST 36 (Tsu-San-Li) was more effective for reducing the increased alcohol-drinking behavior in restricted rats, and they showed that a point specific in EAC procedure was associated with an increase of striatal DA levels. These findings provide new information for understanding alcohol-drinking behavior and for treating human alcoholics.
Yoshimoto
K
K
Department of Legal Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kawaramachi, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan. kyoshimo@basic.kpu-m.ac.jp
Kato
B
B
Sakai
K
K
Shibata
M
M
Yano And
T
T
Yasuhara
M
M
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D004298:Dopamine / Q000032:analysis; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012149:Restraint, Physical; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000503:physiopathology*
D004298:Dopamine