Role of GABA in electro-acupuncture therapy on cerebral ischemia induced by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery in rats.
This study investigated the possible involvement of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the therapeutic effect of cerebral ischemia by electro-acupuncture (EA) using the rat model with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). By immunohistochemistry, the changes of GABA expression level in the primary infarct area and its penumbral regions were examined. The changes in infarct area and survival neuron percentages were also assessed using haematoxylin and eosin stained sections after picrotoxin (PTX) injection, a GABA receptor's antagonist. Our results showed that EA markedly decreased the ischemic damaged areas in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Concomitant to this was an up-regulation of GABA immunoexpression in MCAO rats with EA treatment (P < 0.05). Furthermore, injection of PTX in rats subjected to MCAO or MCAO followed by EA treatment increased the infarct area and decreased survival cell percentage significantly when compared with those without PTX injection. In the light of these findings, it is suggested that EA on specific and established acupoints that are commonly used in clinical management of cerebral ischemia may have elicited an up-regulated expression of GABA that would have a neuroprotective effect.
Gan
Ping
P
National Key Laboratory of Medical Neuroscience, Institute of Acupuncture Research, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, PR China.
Cheng
Jie-Shi
JS
Ng
Yee-Kong
YK
Ling
Eng-Ang
EA
D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D015671:Electroacupuncture / Q000379:methods*; D007839:Functional Laterality; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects; D010852:Picrotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
D018756:GABA Antagonists; D010852:Picrotoxin; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid