Electroacupuncture enhancement of natural killer cell activity suppressed by anterior hypothalamic lesions in rats.
OBJECTIVE
Neuroendocrine hormones are derived from the hypothalamus. The central nervous system, particularly the hypothalamus, is capable of modulating the cytolytic activity of adherent natural killer (NK) cells. In addition, electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of the Zusanli (ST36) acupoint enhances splenic NK cell and cytokine activities in rats. However, it is still unclear whether the anterior hypothalamus affects this immunomodulation. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the effect of EA stimulation at the Zusanli acupoint on the NK cell activity modulated by an anterior hypothalamic area lesion.


METHODS
Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Lesions were placed by means of a direct current through a concentric electrode. The electric acupuncture stimulation was delivered for 30 min per each experiment at the right ST36 acupoint with an electrical stimulator. The NK cell activity of the spleen was measured by a fluorescence assay.


RESULTS
The NK cell activity was significantly reduced on the 2nd day after the lesion, but was restored to that of the sham group by the 7th day. However, when EA was applied for 2 days after the operation, the NK cell activity of the lesion group was restored to that of the sham group. After 7 days of EA, the NK cell activity of the lesion group was slightly higher than that of the sham group.


CONCLUSIONS
From these results, we can suggest that EA enhances or restores the NK cell activity suppressed by an anterior hypothalamic area lesion.
Hahm
Eu-Teum
ET
Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea.
Lee
Jong-Ju
JJ
Lee
Won-Kyu
WK
Bae
Hyun-Soo
HS
Min
Byung-Il
BI
Cho
Young-Wuk
YW
D000818:Animals; D007025:Anterior Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D003714:Denervation; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D015213:Neuroimmunomodulation / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology