title: Effects of acupuncture on nNOS and iNOS expression in the rostral ventrolateral medulla of stress-induced hypertensive rats.
abstract: This study was to observe the changes of the neuronal and inducible nitric oxide synthase (nNOS & iNOS) as well as their mRNAs in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) of stress-induced hypertensive rats before and after acupuncture, and thereby to infer the curative mechanism of acupuncture on hypertension. The result indicated that the systolic blood pressure (SBP) of stress group rats was increased significantly (P < 0.01), it was accompanied that the expression of nNOS in the RVLM, including the immunoreactive neuron number (P < 0.05), the optical density (OD) (P < 0.01), and the mRNA (P < 0.01) were obviously elevated, while those of iNOS (P < 0.05, P < 0.01 and P < 0.01) were evidently lowered in the stress-induced hypertensive rats. Electroacupuncture (EA) points at "Zusanli" (St. 36) and "Lanwei" (Extra 37) on the same hindlimb were stimulated by an EA apparatus (Type G6805-2) with dense sparse wave (4-20Hz) and 4mA intensity. EA application could return the SBP (P < 0.05), and the changes on the expression of both nNOS and iNOS (P < 0.05, P < 0.01 and P < 0.01). These results suggest that the curative mechanism of acupuncture on stress-induced hypertension is related to the changes of nNOS and iNOS in the RVLM of rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Ling
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Ming-Xin
authors.initials: MX
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Yin-Xiang
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Lin-Lin
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Da-Nian
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000378:metabolism*; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000378:metabolism*; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000150:complications / Q000201:enzymology*; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496318:Nos2 protein, rat