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- Title
Anti-arrhythmic effect of acupuncture pretreatment in the rats subjected to simulative global ischemia and reperfusion—involvement of intracellular Ca<sup>2+</sup> and connexin 43.
- Authors
Junhong Gao; Yuxue Zhao; Yumin Wang; Juanjuan Xin; Jingjing Cui; Shuhua Ma; Fengyan Lu; Lianping Qin; Xiaochun Yu
- Abstract
Background: The previous study showed that the cardiac arrhythmias induced by myocardial ischemia and reperfusion were attenuated by the pretreatment of acupuncture; however, the related mechanism is not understood. The present study was therefore designed to determine whether intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) and connexin 43 (Cx43) are involved in the mediation of the anti-arrhythmic effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) pretreatment in the rats subjected to simulative global ischemia and reperfusion (SGIR). Methods: SGIR was made in the isolated heart by a low flow perfusion followed by a flow restoration. Four groups of animals are involved in the present study, including normal control group, SGIR group, EA group and EA plus 18 beta-glycyrrhetinic acid (EAG) group. For EA pretreatment, bilateral Neiguan acupoints (PC6) of the rats were stimulated for 30 min once a day in 3 consecutive days. Cx43 antagonist was given to the rats in EAG group 30 minutes before the EA pretreatment. The resting [Ca2+]i concentration, calcium oscillation, the contents of total Cx43 and non-phosphrylated Cx43 and arrhythmia score were compared among different groups. Results: In EA group, the arrhythmic score, the resting [Ca2+]i concentration and the number of [Ca2+]i oscillations were all significantly less than those in SGIR group (all P < 0.05), and interestingly, after EA pretreatment, the contents of nonphosphated Cx43 in the EA group were significantly lower than that in SGIR group respectively (P < 0.05). However, when the rats were treated with Cx43 antagonist prior to the EA pretreatment, the protection effects induced by EA pretreatment were reversed. Conclusions: The results showed that EA pretreatment could produce anti-arrhythmic effect in the rats subjected to SGIR. The anti-arrhythmic effect of EA pretreatment may be due at least partially to the inhibition of SGIR-induced calcium overload and [Ca2+]i oscillations, reduction of non-phosphorylated Cx43 and the enhancement of the corresponding phosphorylated Cx43 in the cardiac cells.
- Subjects
ARRHYTHMIA prevention; CALCIUM metabolism; CELL metabolism; ANALYSIS of variance; ANIMAL experimentation; ELECTROACUPUNCTURE; ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY; ELECTROPHORESIS; RATS; RESEARCH funding; T-test (Statistics); DESCRIPTIVE statistics
- Publication
BMC Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 2015, Vol 15, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
1472-6882
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1186/s12906-015-0521-y