Acupuncture enhances cell proliferation in dentate gyrus of maternally-separated rats.
Maternal separation in early life can increase vulnerability to neuropsychiatric disorders over the lifespan. To investigate the effect of acupuncture on cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus (DG), 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU)-immunohistochemistry was performed in maternally-separated rat pups. Maternal separation, for 7 days from postnatal day 14, induced a significant decrease of BrdU-immunoreactive cells in DG, while acupuncture treatment at acupoint Shenmen (HT7), at the end of the transverse crease of the ulnar wrist, resulted in the significant increase in the number of BrdU-positive cells in DG. However, acupuncture at acupoint ST36, near the knee joint, produced no increase in the number of BrdU-positive cells. These findings indicate that acupuncture at acupoint HT7 appears to stimulate cell proliferation, and we suggested that acupuncture may be useful in the treatment of diseases related to maternal separation.
Park
Hi-Joon
HJ
Department of Meridian and Acupuncture, College of Oriental Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 1 Hoegidong, Dongdaemoongu, Seoul, 130-701, South Korea.
Lim
Sabina
S
Lee
Hyang-Sook
HS
Lee
Hye-Jung
HJ
Yoo
Yeong-Min
YM
Lee
Hee Jae
HJ
Kim
Soon Ae
SA
Yin
Chang-Shik
CS
Seo
Jung-Chul
JC
Chung
Joo-Ho
JH
D026881:Acupuncture; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000502:physiology; D008426:Maternal Deprivation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014457:Ulna / Q000502:physiology
D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine