title: Electroacupuncture stimulates the expression of prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP) in the medulla oblongata of ovariectomized rats.
abstract: Electroacupuncture (EA) in reproductive medicine has become established in Western medicine as a therapy over the last decade. EA performs a variety of neuromodulatory functions in the central nervous system (CNS). Prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP) is a neuropeptide identified as an endogenous ligand for the orphan G protein-coupled receptor hGR3. PrRP can affect the function of hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary axis (HPOA) and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA). The present study was undertaken to characterize the effect of EA on the expression of PrRP in the medulla oblongata in ovariectomized (OVX) rats by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In addition, estrogen (E2) levels were detected by radioimmunoassay (RIA). The results suggest that EA significantly increase the blood level of E2 and the expression of PrRP in the medulla oblongata of OVX rats. The number of PrRP immunoreactive (ir) neurons was higher in the group ovariectomized with EA than that in the OVX group. The numbers of PrRP-ir neurons in intact (INT) and intact with EA (INT+EA) were not significantly different between the two groups. The expression of PrRP mRNA was increased in the OVX+EA group than that in the OVX group. These results suggest that the mechanism that EA improved reproductive disorders induced by ovariectomy in rats is related to the modulation of the blood E2 level and the expression of PrRP in the medulla oblongata.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Integrative Medicine, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, and Department of Endocrinology, Huashan Hospital, 200041 Shanghai, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Xiao-Qing
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shu-Lan
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Bo-Ying
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D004967:Estrogens / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000528:radiation effects*; D007028:Hypothalamic Hormones / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010052:Ovariectomy; D056690:Prolactin-Releasing Hormone; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D007028:Hypothalamic Hormones; D009479:Neuropeptides; C534379:Prlh protein, rat; D056690:Prolactin-Releasing Hormone; D012333:RNA, Messenger