title: Effect of electro-acupuncture on gene expression in heart of rats with stress-induced pre-hypertension based on gene chip technology.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore electro-acupuncture's (EA's) effect on gene expression in heart of rats with stress-induced pre-hypertension and try to reveal its biological mechanism based on gene chip technology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven Wistar male rats were randomly divided into 3 groups. The stress-induced hypertensive rat model was prepared by electric foot-shocks combined with generated noise. Molding cycle lasted for 14 days and EA intervene was applied,on rats in model + EA group during model preparation. Rat Gene 2.0 Sense Target Array technology was used for the determination of gene expression profiles and the screened key genes were verified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with blank control group, 390 genes were changed in model group; compared with model control group, 330 genes were changed in model+EA group. Significance analysis of gene function showed that the differentially expressed genes are those involved in biological process, molecular function and cellular components. RT-PCR result of the screened key genes is consistent with that of gene chip test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EA could significantly lower blood pressure of stress-induced pre-hypertension rats and affect its gene expression profile in heart. Genes that related to the contraction of vascular smooth muscle may be involved in EA's anti-hypertensive mechanism.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Xiaojia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Changqing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Zhaoyang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qingguo
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D015870:Gene Expression; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D058246:Prehypertension / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar