title: [Effects of electroacupuncture on the expressions of neuroal nitric oxide synthase and astrocyte in dentate gyrus of rats with Parkinson's disease].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the changes in the expression of neuroal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in dentate gyrus (DG) of rats with Parkinson's disease (PD) and effects of electroacupuncture (EA).
  
  
  METHODS
  On the 7th day of stereotactic injection with 6-hydroxydopamine into right medial forebrain bundle, apomorphine-induced rotation was carried out to select the PD rats. The selected 12 rats were randomly divided into a model group (n = 6) and an EA group (n = 6). Moreover a normal group was established (n = 6). Then, the rats in EA group were treated with EA at "Hegu" (LI 4) and "Taichong" (LR 3), once a day for 21 days, and the other groups without any treatment. After EA treatment, the expressions of nNOS and GFAP in right DG were examined by immunohistochemistry method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The expression of nNOS in the right DG was weak in normal group, and the expression of nNOS in model group was significantly higher than that in normal group (P < 0.01), while in EA group, it was significantly lower than that in model (P < 0.01), with no difference between EA group and normal group (P > 0.05). The expression level of GFAP in model group was significantly higher than that in normal group (P < 0.01), while there was no difference in the number of GFAP positive cells between the above two groups (P > 0.05), and the number of GFAP positive cells in EA group was significantly increased compared with that in model group (P < 0.01), while with no significant difference in the expression level of GFAP between EA group and model group (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EA can reverse the increase of nNOS expression and promote the activation of astrocyte in DG on the injured side in rats with PD.
authors: Human Anatomy Teaching and Research Section, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu 241002, Anhui Province, China.
authors: Yan-Xia
authors: YX
authors: Ding
authors: Jian
authors: J
authors: Zhao
authors: Liang-Qin
authors: LQ
authors: Hou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000201:enzymology*; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase