Effects of electroacupunture on rat model of chronic stress-induced depression
Item
Title
Effects of electroacupunture on rat model of chronic stress-induced depression
Description
J Acupunct Tunia Sci (2012), Hua-de, Chen
Abstract
Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture on serum cortisol (CORT) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) of rats with chronic stress-induced depression, and to investigate the mechanism of acupuncture in treating depression. Methods: Thirty-two male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: an electroacupuncture (EA) group, a catgut embedding (CE) group, a control group and a model group, 8 rats in each group. The modeling was operated as the combination of chronic unpredictable mild stress stimulation and single rearing. The rats underwent various stimulations in 21 d. They were weighed, and the 24-h sugar consumption was recorded on the first, 14th, and 21st day. Open-field method was adopted to evaluate the rat’s behavior. The rats in the EA group and CE group were treated with EA or CE on Baihui (GV 20). Serum CORT and ACTH were tested with radioimmunoassay. Results: Compared with the rats in the control group, the weight and sugar consumption of the rats in the model group reduced significantly as well as the behavior scores. Compared with the rats in the model group, the weight and sugar consumption of the rats in the EA group increased notably, so did the behavior score (P<0.01), and serum CORT and ACTH reduced markedly (P<0.01). For the rats in the CE group, sugar consumption and vertical movement score enhanced significantly (P<0.01) and serum ACTH declined considerably but the CORT content didn’t show significant difference. Conclusion: Both EA and CE could improve the abnormal behavior of the rats with depression and reduce serum ACTH content. Besides, EA could reduce serum CORT, suggesting the key mechanism to treat depression.
Alternative Title
J Acupunct Tuina Sci
Creator
Date
Language
English
Subject
issn
1672-3597
issue
1
page end
13
page start
9
volume
10