[Effect of acupuncture of "Taixi" (KI 3) on protein expression in the renal tissues of healthy rats].
OBJECTIVE
To observe the changes of renal protein expression after electroacupuncture (EA) of "Taixi" (KI 3) of the Kidney Meridian of Foot-Shaoyin in healthy rats so as to explore the relationship between KI 3 and the Kidney.


METHODS
Twelve adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control group (n=6) and EA group (n=6). EA (2 Hz/100 Hz, 2-4 mA) was applied to bilateral KI 3 for 20 min, once a day for 7 days. Under anesthesia, the rats were perfused transcardiacally with ice saline and their kidneys removed for extracting the total proteins and assaying the differentially expressed proteins with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE), Image Master 2 D Platinum Software and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) MALDI-TOF-MS, respectively.


RESULTS
Image Master 2 D Platinum Software analysis showed that after EA, 9 protein points of the kidney tissues expressed differentially above 3-fold in comparison with control group were upregulated, 2 of which were identified to be NAD-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase and Quinone reductase. No downregulated differentially expressed proteins were found in the kidney tissues.


CONCLUSIONS
EA of "Taixi" (KI 3) can increase the expression of NAD-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase and Quinone reductase in the kidney tissue, suggesting an increase of energy metabolism after EA and a close correlation between the KI 3 (source-point) and the kidney.
Chen
Yi-guo
YG
College of Acu-moxibustion, Liaoning University of Chinese Medicine, Shenyang 110032, China. cyg@lnutcm.edu.cn
Li
Chun-ri
CR
Song
Yuan-yuan
YY
Zheng
Jie
J
D015669:Acupuncture Points; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000818:Animals; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D015870:Gene Expression; D007668:Kidney / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D011506:Proteins