title: [Preliminary study on effect of acupuncture serum on Ca2+ content in cultured neurons of cerebral cortex].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe effect of serum of the rat after acupuncture on Ca2+ content of cultured nervous cells in vitro for exploring the role of humoral factors in acupuncture.
  
  
  METHODS
  Neurons of the cerebral cortex from the new born rats were taken and were cultured in a medium, 7 - 10 days later, fluorescein-molecular probe Fluo-3AM was used for staining of intracellular Ca2+. The intracellular Ca2+ levels in the nervous cells cultured with the serum of the normal rats or the rats given acupuncture at "Baihui" (GV 20), "Zusanli" (ST 36), "Quchi" (LI 11) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) for 2 weeks were determined by using a laser confocal microscope.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After addition of the serum of.normal rats, the intracellular Ca2+ level increased and then gradually got stable, and when the acupuncture serum was added to the cultured medium, its level decreased to a certain extent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acupuncture serum can significantly decrease Ca2+ level in cultured cells of the cerebral cortex, which provides a direct evidence for involvement of humoral factors in the role of acupuncture.
authors.affiliation: China Academy of TCM, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Beijing 100700, China. tcmlrw@263.net
authors.forename: Rui-Wu
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jin-Ling
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Cui-Hong
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex; D009474:Neurons; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley