title: Effects of electroacupuncture Zusanli (ST36) on food intake and expression of POMC and TRPV1 through afferents-medulla pathway in obese prone rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) ST36 on food intake and body weight in obese prone (OP) rats compared to obese resistant (OR) strain on a high fat diet. The influences of EA on mRNA levels of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), transient receptor potential vanilloid type-1 (TRPV1), and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) were also examined in the medulla regions and ST36 skin tissue.
  
  
  METHODS
  Advanced EA ST36 was conducted in two sessions of 20 min separated by an 80 min interval for 7 days. Food intake and body weight were recorded in conscious rats every day. Real time PCR was conducted in the micropunches of the medulla regions and skin tissues at the end of the treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Food intake and body weight were significantly reduced by advanced EA ST36 in OP rats, but slightly decreased in OR strain and sham-EA rats. Advanced EA ST36 produced a marked increase in POMC mRNA level in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and hypoglossal nucleus (HN) regions. TRPV1 and nNOS mRNAs were simultaneously increased in the NTS/gracile nucleus regions and in the ST36 skin regions by the EA treatment in OP rats.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that advanced EA ST36 produces an up-regulation of anorexigenic factor POMC production in the NTS/HN, which inhibits food intake and reduces body weight. EA-induced expression of TRPV1-nNOS in the ST36 and the NTS/gracile nucleus is involved in the signal transduction of EA stimuli via somatosensory afferents-medulla pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502, USA.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Shengxing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D004435:Eating; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy*; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D050916:TRPV Cation Channels; C493922:Trpv1 protein, rat; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase