title: [Effects of preventive-electroacupuncture of "Guanyuan" (CV 4) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) on hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary axis in ovariectomized rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the effect of preventive-electroacupuncture (PEA) at "Guanyuan" (CV 4) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6)on hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary (HPO)activities in ovariectomized (OVX) rats, and to compare the specificity of efficacy of acupoints.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-two female SD rats were randomly divided into normal group (n = 6), sham-operation (sham) group (n = 6), model group (n = 6), PEA-Guanyuan (CV 4, PEA-CV 4) group (n = 11), PEA-Sanyinjiao (SP 6, PEA-SP 6) group (n = 11), complementary (C)-PEA-CV 4 (n = 11) and C-PEA-SP 6 group (n = 11). Climacterium model was duplicated by removing the bilateral ovaries. Before OVX, electroacupuncture (EA, 2 Hz/100 Hz, ) was applied to bilateral SP 6, CV 4 for 20 min, once every other day for 15 times. For rats of the C-PEA-CV 4 and C-PEA-SP 6 groups and 12 days after the OVX, PEA was applied to CV 4 and SP 6 again, once every other day for 5 times. For rats of the sham group, a little of fat nearby the ovary was removed. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the contents of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) in the hypothalamus, follicule-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in the hypophysis, and estrogen (E2) in the uterus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In comparison with the normal group, uterus E2 content was decreased significantly (P < 0. 05), and pituitary FSH and LH contents and hypothalamic GnRH content were increased obviously (P < 0.01) in the model group. Compared with the model group, uterus E2 levels in the PEA-CV 4 and C-PEA-CV 4 groups were increased apparently (P < 0.05), while both pituitary FSH and hypothalamic GnRH levels in the PEA-CV 4, C-PEA-CV 4, PEA-SP 6 and C-PEA-SP 6 groups, and pituitary LH levels in the C-PEA-CV 4 and PEA-SP 6 groups were down-regulated markedly (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), suggesting an improvement of the HPO axis activity following PEA and C-PEA. No significant differences were found between the normal and sham groups in uterus E2, pituitary FSH and LH, and hypothalamic GnRH contents, and between the model and PEA-SP 6 groups, and between the model and C-PEA-SP 6 groups in uterus E2 levels, and between the model and PEA-CV 4 groups, and between the model and C-PEA-SP 6 groups in pituitary LH levels (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preventive EA of "Guanyuan" (CV 4) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) can function in up-regulating uterus E2 level, and down-regulating pituitary FSH and LH contents and hypothalamic GnRH level in OVX rats, which may contribute to its efficacy in relieving climacteric syndrome in clinic.
authors.affiliation: School of Acu-moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Su-Ling
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Tian
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000818:Animals; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D004967:Estrogens / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D010052:Ovariectomy; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism*; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000378:metabolism*; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014599:Uterus / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone