title: Electroacupuncture and moxibustion decrease renal sympathetic nerve activity and retard progression of renal disease in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an increasing major public health problem worldwide. The sympathetic nervous system and nitric oxide play an important role in the pathogenesis of CKD. Traditional Chinese medicine has accumulated thousands of years of therapeutic experiences. Electroacupuncture (EA) and moxibustion (MO) are two such therapeutic strategies. The aim of this study was to investigate the renal and hemodynamic effects of EA-MO in an experimental model of a CKD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Wistar rats submitted to 5/6th nephrectomy (5/6 NX) were studied for 8 weeks. There were four groups: (1) control, normal rats; (2) NX, 5/6 NX only; (3) NX-AS, 5/6 NX and EA-MO session using sham points, and (4) NX-AM, 5/6 NX and EA-MO session using real acupoints. Biochemical and blood pressure studies, renal sympathetic nerve activity measurements, nitric oxide levels and the histopathological indices were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The EA- and MO-treated group presented significant improvement in all measured functional and histopathological parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that EA-MO had beneficial effects on CKD. This effect was probably achieved by the modulation of the renal sympathetic nerve activity and nitric oxide levels, leading to decreased blood pressure, which is associated with less proteinuria.
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Division, Department of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Josne C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Paterno
authors.forename: Cássia T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Bergamaschi
authors.forename: Ruy R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: Elisa M S
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Higa
authors.forename: Maria Fernanda
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: Nestor
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schor
authors.forename: Anaflávia O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Freire
authors.forename: Vicente Paulo Castro
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Teixeira
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D015671:Electroacupuncture / Q000379:methods*; D005923:Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006977:Hypertension, Renal / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D007668:Kidney / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009071:Moxibustion / Q000379:methods*; D009392:Nephrectomy; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D014508:Urea / Q000097:blood; D014556:Urine
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide; D014508:Urea; D003404:Creatinine