Effect by acupuncture on hypothalamic expression of maternally separated rats: proteomic approach.
OBJECTIVE
Early stressors can influence the development of biological and neurological systems. Maternal separation (social isolation) in early life may increase vulnerability to neurodegenerative diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders over the lifespan. To identify new proteins on acupuncture effects in maternally separated rats, an animal model for study of early environmental insults, proteomic approach on the expression of the hypothalamic proteins was performed.


METHODS
On post-natal day 14, rat pups were randomly divided into four groups: pups kept with their mothers for 7 days; pups kept with their mothers with acupuncture daily to HT8 (Sobu); maternally separated pups; maternally separated pups with acupuncture. The hypothalamic proteins were analysed by two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled with matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer.


RESULTS
The results showed that 27 spots were differentially and commonly expressed. Of 27 spots, 21 spots were identified while six spots were not, and 15 proteins were known proteins. In maternally separated group, the expressions of 14 proteins were down-regulated, compared to control group. In group of maternally separation with acupuncture, five proteins were down-regulated and nine were up-regulated, compared to the maternally separated group. Among nine proteins up-regulated by acupuncture treatment, we found four proteins (dihydropyrimidinase-like 2, dystrophin-related protein 2, tubulin, alpha 1a and syntaxin 1b) related to neurodevelopment.


CONCLUSIONS
The result suggests that acupuncture to HT8 may affect neurodevelopment, and acupuncture may be a possible therapy for neurodevelopmental disorders.
Kim
Hak-Jae
HJ
Kohwang Medical Research Institute, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea.
Park
Hae Jeong
HJ
Hong
Mee Sook
MS
Song
Jeong Yoon
JY
Park
Hyun-Kyung
HK
Jo
Dae Jean
DJ
Park
Sung Wook
SW
HwanYun
Dong
D
Park
Hun-Kuk
HK
Yang
Jong-Soo
JS
Ban
Ju Yeon
JY
Chung
Joo-Ho
JH
D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D005260:Female; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008426:Maternal Deprivation; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy*; D050827:Syntaxin 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014404:Tubulin / Q000378:metabolism
D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D050827:Syntaxin 1; D014404:Tubulin; C095114:collapsin response mediator protein-2; C099589:dystrophin-related protein 2