title: Mild moxibustion decreases the expression of prokineticin 2 and prokineticin receptor 2 in the colon and spinal cord of rats with irritable bowel syndrome.
abstract: It has been proven that prokineticin 2 (PK2) and its receptor PKR2 play an important role in hyperalgesia, while mild moxibustion can relieve visceral hypersensitivity in a rat model of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The goal of the present study was to determine the effects of mild moxibustion on the expression of PK2 and PKR2 in colon and spinal cord in IBS rat model, which was induced by colorectal distension using inflatable balloons. After mild moxibustion treatment, abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) scores were assessed by colorectal distension; protein and mRNA expression of PK2 and PKR2 in rat colon and spinal cord was determined by immunohistochemistry and fluorescence quantitative PCR. Compared with normal rats, the AWR scores of rats and the expressions of PK2/PKR2 proteins and mRNAs in colon and spinal cord tissue were significantly increased in the model group; compared with the model group, the AWR scores of rats and the expressions of PK2/PKR2 proteins and mRNAs in colon and spinal cord tissue were significantly decreased in the mild moxibustion group. These findings suggest that the analgesia effect of mild moxibustion may be associated with the reduction of the abnormally increased expression of the PK2/PKR2 proteins and mRNAs in the colon and spinal cord.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Immunological Effects, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Cili
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Immunological Effects, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Jimeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Immunological Effects, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Luyi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, China.
authors.forename: Renjia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Immunological Effects, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Yin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Immunological Effects, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Xiaomei
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1962-0827
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Center for Prescription and Syndrome of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Systems Biology, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Immunological Effects, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Jue
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Immunological Effects, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Shimin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Immunological Effects, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Huangan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu