title: Electroacupuncture enhances cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation in young rat brains.
abstract: To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture on cell proliferation and differentiation in young rat hippocampus, postnatal day-14 rats were assigned randomly to control, ketamine anesthesia, nonacupoint, or acupoint electroacupuncture groups. Electroacupuncture was applied at bilateral acupoints (Quchi, Waiguan, Huantiao, and Zusanli) 30 min daily for 7 successive days. The proliferation and neuronal differentiation of proliferated surviving cells in the dentate gyrus were evaluated at 4 weeks after last stimulation. The stimulatory effect of electroacupuncture on cell proliferation had a long-lasting effect, as indicated by the increased phosphor-histone H3-positive cells. The number of proliferated and survival cells, indicated by BrdU labeling, was highest in the electroacupuncture group. The number of newly differentiated neurons, as indicated by BrdU/NeuN double labeling, was significantly higher in the electroacupuncture group than in any of the other groups. This finding provides a theoretical basis for the clinical application of acupuncture to cerebral injury rehabilitation in children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Kangfuqain Street 7, Zhengzhou 450052, China.
authors.forename: Jianfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiaoyang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Changlian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development; D015671:Electroacupuncture / Q000379:methods*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000502:physiology