title: Electroacupuncture Analgesia Is Improved by Adenoviral Gene Transfer of Dopamine Beta-hydroxylase into the Hypothalamus of Rats.
abstract: Electroacupuncture (EA) is a modified form of acupuncture that utilizes electrical stimulation. We previously showed that EA stimulated rats were divided into responders that were sensitive to EA and non-responders that were insensitive to EA based on the tail flick latency (TFL) test. The dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) gene was more abundantly expressed in the hypothalamus of responder rats than non-responder rats. To determine whether overexpression of DBH gene expression in the hypothalamus modulate EA analgesia, we constructed a DBH encoding adenovirus and which was then injected into the hypothalamus of SD rats. Microinjection of DBH or control GFP virus into the hypothalamus had no changes on the basal pain threshold measured by a TFL test without EA treatment. However, the analgesic effect of EA was significantly enhanced from seven days after microinjection of the DBH virus, but not after injection of the control GFP virus. DBH expression was significantly higher in the hypothalamus of DBH virus injected rat than control GFP virus or PBS injected rats. Moreover, expression of the DBH gene did not affect the body core temperature, body weight, motor function or learning and memory ability. Although the functional role of DBH in the hypothalamus in the analgesic effect of EA remains unclear, our findings suggest that expression of the DBH gene in the hypothalamus promotes EA analgesia without obvious side-effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Soo-Jeong
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Sook
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Jun-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Korean Gynecology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Chang Hoon
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Sun Kwang
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Hye-Jung
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyunsu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bae
keywords: Adenovirus; Analgesia; Dopamine-beta-hydroxylase; Electroacupuncture; Hypothalamus