Effect Of Acupuncture "Regulating Fu-organs" On The Ghrelin/GHS-R1a-HPA In Anxiety Model Rats

Background:Anxiety disorder,a kind of mental disease,often accompanied by obvious disorders of the digestive system,is seriously harmful to human health.GH(ghrelin),a peptide derived from the intestines of the brain-gut axis,promotes the HPA axis by the combination of its 1a receptor,which is involved in the occurrence of anxiety disorder.In clinic,the effect of acupuncture “regulating fu-organs”can be used to treat the mental diseases.However,there is no relevant mechanism of acupuncture “regulating fu-organs” on the ghrelin/GHS-R1a-HPA axis of anti anxiety at present.Objective:The key transduction pathway,Ghrelin/GHS-R1a-HPA axis,as the entry point,we explore the possible mechanism of acupuncture "regulating fu-organs " in the treatment of anxiety disorder.Methods:Choose health male clean grade SD rats,use SPSS21.0 statistical analysis software to randomly divide the rats into 3 groups(control group,model group and acupuncture group)after a week of domestication.According to the literature,we improve 7 kinds of stimuli which were randomly arranged in the course of 15 days to establish the chronic unpredictable stress(CUS)anxiety model in model group and acupuncture group.On the day of making model,the acupuncture group rats were needled with Guanyuan(RN4)and unilateral Xiajuxu(ST39)acupuncture point by even movements every other day,then alternates the other "Xiajuxu" next time.Every5 minutes twist the needle for 1 minute,namely 0.5 min for each point.Every treatment last 30 minutes and the whole course continue until the end of model manufacturing.Then use elevated plus maze(EPM)test to measure the behavior changes of each rat.Finally,use enzymelin-ked immunosorbent assay(Elisa)to detect the content of ghrelin(GH)and growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a(GHS-R1a)in both hypothalamus and duodenum and corticotropin releasing hormone(CRH)in hypothalamus and corticosterone(CORT)in plasma.Results:1.Results of behavior,(1)OT%(the percentage of open-arms time of total time in the arms):compared with the control group,OT% in the model group was decreased significantly(P<0.05),OT% in the acupuncture group was increased significantly when compared with the model group(P<0.05).(2)OE%(the percentage of open-arms entries of total entries in the arms):compared with the control group,OE% in the model group was on the decline(P=0.051).Then compared with the model group,OE% in the acupuncture group was on the increase(P=0.054).Which meant that the model rats were in anxiety state,namely,the CUS model was successfully established and the acupuncture was useful to reduce the anxiety state.2.GH and GHS-R1 a level in hypothalamus,(1)GH:there is no significant difference in the GH level in hypothalamus between the control group,the model group and the acupuncture group(P>0.05).(2)GHS-R1a:the GHS-R1 a levels in hypothalamus of the 3 groups are almost the same,there is no significant difference among them(P>0.05).3.GH and GHS-R1 a level in duodenum,(1)GH:while there is no significant difference in the GH level in hypothalamus between the control group,the model group and the acupuncture group(P>0.05),but compared with the control group,the model group is on the decrease,compared with the model group the acupuncture group is on the increase,what's more,the acupuncture group is approaching the control group.(2)GHS-R1a: compared with the control group,the GHS-R1 a level in duodenum in the model group is slightly decrease;compared with the model group,the acupuncture group is slightly increase,while there is no significant difference among the 3 groups.4.HPA axis changes result,(1)the hypothalamus CRH level:compared with the control group,there is no significant difference in the CRH level in hypothalamus in the model group(P>0.05);compared with the model group,there is no significant difference in the CRH level in hypothalamus in the acupuncture group,either(P>0.05).(2)The plasma CORT content:compared with the control group,the model group had a higher plasma CORT content.While compared with the model group,the plasmaCORT content of acupuncture group showed a decreasing trend(P=0.065),but the CORT content in plasma among 3 groups had no significant difference(P>0.05).Conclusions:1.Acupuncture“regulating fu-organs” can reduce the anxiety state of the CUS model rats probably by inhibiting the stimulated HPA axis.2.There is no conclusive evidence yet to prove that acupuncture“regulating fu-organs”plays the role of anti anxiety by the regulation of GH and GHS-R1 a in the brain gut axis pathway.