title: Efficacy of acupuncture and identification of tear protein expression changes using iTRAQ quantitative proteomics in rabbits.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of acupuncture on rabbit tear secretion and compare the difference in tear protein expression caused by acupuncture.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten male New Zealand White rabbits were enrolled in this study. The following acupoints around the left eye, Extra 1 (Taiyang), BL 2 (Zanzhu) and SJ 23 (Sizhukong), were selected for acupuncture therapy. Each rabbit received 10 acupuncture sessions of 30 min, three times per week. A quantity of 50 μl rabbit tear was collected at the pre- and post-acupuncture stage in every subject, respectively. Total protein content analysis, one-dimensional gel electrophoresis and quantitative proteomics analysis (iTRAQ) were performed and the results were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Generally, the tear protein expression after acupuncture was different from that before acupuncture though to some extent they were similar. The time spent collecting rabbit tear after acupuncture was shorter than that before acupuncture. The total protein content in rabbit tear pre- and post-acupuncture was 7.12 μg/μl versus 11.28 μg/μl, respectively. One-dimensional gel electrophoresis showed that tear proteins collected before acupuncture were substantially different than post-acupuncture proteins. In total, twenty-eight tear proteins were identified by iTRAQ. Associated with acupuncture were six up-regulated proteins (tear lipocalin, α-1-antiproteinase, histidine-rich glycoprotein, hemopexin, Vitamin D-binding protein, α-2-HS-glycoprotein) and five down-regulated proteins (Annexin A1, serum amyloid A-3 protein, Helicase-like transcription factor, 15 kDa protein A, protein S100-A9).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rabbit tear protein expression difference caused by acupuncture indicates that acupuncture not only stimulates lacrimal gland secretion function but also induces the quantitative change of some proteins in rabbit tear, which may support a positive effect of acupuncture in the treatment of dry eye.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Eye Ear Nose and Throat Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xiaodi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Xinghuai
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Jingchun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Chodara
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005123:Eye; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D040901:Proteomics; D011817:Rabbits; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D013666:Tears / Q000378:metabolism*; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D005136:Eye Proteins; C042434:tear proteins