title: Acupuncture decreases ischemia-induced apoptosis and cell proliferation in dentate gyrus of gerbils.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acupuncture has been used for the enhancement of functional recovery from various disorders. In the present study, the effect of acupuncture on the apoptosis and new cell proliferation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of gerbils (n = 25) following transient global ischemia was investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  To determine the level of apoptosis and cell proliferation, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) assay and immunohistochemistry for 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) were employed respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the dentate gyrus of ischemic gerbils, the number of both TUNEL- and BrdU-positive cells (66.01 +/- 2.45/mm(2) and 514.38 +/- 44.90/mm(2)) was significantly increased compared to that of the sham-operated gerbils (11.25 +/- 1.85/mm(2) and 111.47 +/- 10.95/mm(2)). Among the acupuncture (ST36, LI4 or non-acupoint) treated groups, ST36 acupoint treated group showed the most potent apoptosis (20.52 +/- 2.40/mm(2)) and proliferation (159.38 +/- 24.05/mm(2)) suppressive effects ( approximately 70% decreases in both apoptosis and cell proliferation).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results may suggest that acupuncture treatment alleviates ischemia-induced apoptosis and presents possible therapeutic potentials in the recovery from ischemic cerebral injury.
authors.affiliation: College of Korean Medicine, Semyung University, Jechon 390-711, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Eun-Yong
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Mi-Hyeon
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Chang-Ju
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jeongseon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eunyoung
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.forename: Hun-Kuk
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Sunmi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Hyejung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sung-Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kang-Hyun
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Leem
authors.forename: Ee-Hwa
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D026881:Acupuncture / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000473:pathology*; D005849:Gerbillinae; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D007511:Ischemia / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine