title: [Effects of electroacupuncture at "Fenglong" (ST 40) on formation of macrophage-derived foam cell and efflux of cholesterol in hyperlipidemia rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore action mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Fenglong" (ST 40) for treatment of hyperlipidemia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty SPF-grade SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group (group A), a model group (group B), a model diet-control group (group C), a model + EA group (group D) and model diet-control + EA group (group E), 8 cases in each one. The rats in group A were fed with normal diet continuously while those in the rest 4 groups were fed with high-fat diet to establish hyperlipidemia model. Afterwards, the rats in group C and group E were fed with normal diet, while EA at "Fenglong" (ST 40) was applied in group D and group E, 30 min per time, once a day. After 28 days of treatment, macrophage was collected in each group. Oil red O-staining was applied to detect the formation of foam cells, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISE) was adopted to measure the contents of total cholesterol (TC) in macrophage and analyze the rate of cholesterol efflux.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The counts of positive cells of oil red O-staining and the contents of TC in the group B, group C and group D were significantly increased compared with those in the group A (all P < 0.01). The counts of positive cells and contents of TC in the group C, group D and group E were significantly clecreased compared with those in the group B (all P < 0.01), and the decline in group D was more obvious than that in the group C (all P < 0.01). Compared with group C and group D, the counts of positive cells and contents of TC in the group E was obviously decreased (all P < 0.01), which was not statistically different from group A (P > 0.05). In the meantime, compared with group C, the rate of cholesterol efflux in group D and group E was significantly increased (both P < 0.01), and the rise in group E was more obvious than that in the group D.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The electroacupuncture at "Fenglong" (ST 40) could significantly prohibit the transformation of macrophage into foam cell and increase rate of cholesterol efflux in macrophage, which could prevent and reverse the formation of foam cell and play an essential role in treating hyperlipidemia and stopping it from developing into a further level.
authors.forename: Ying-Fang
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jia-Yu
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Hong-Xing
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism*; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D005487:Foam Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol