Effects Of Electroacupuncture Therapy On The Expression Of Glutamate Transporter In The Striatum Of Rat Model With Parkinsons Disease

Objective:Parkinson’s disease(PD) is a common degenerative disease of the central nervous system in the elderly, the mainly clinical manifestations to resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and gait abnormalities. Patient is unable to take care of themselves in later life disease, poor quality of life, and ultimately died of lung infection and other complications. Therefore, the great distress was brought to patients and their families. Modern research has confirmed the main pathological changes of Parkinson’s disease are the tyrosine hydroxylase(TH) decrease or activity reduces. The exact etiology and pathogenesis of this disease is unknown. Now that its possible mechanism for the oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, excitotoxicity, theubiquitin-proteasome system dysfunction, apoptosis, autophagy. Recent studies indicate that glutamate transporter systems dysfunction has a very close relationship with PD and other neurodegenerative diseases. Studies have found that excessive glutamate cause PD nigrostriatal neuron loss, reducing glutamate transporter expression to impact the Glu reuptake, causing excitotoxic neuronal cells, Glu receptor antagonists can reduce PD model nigra loss of striatal neurons.Currently, western medicine for the treatment of PD is to drug treatment, surgery, gene therapy, rehabilitation, dietary therapy, but were only can improve symptoms cannot prevent the progress of the disease, not cure. And the presence of a clinically is Large doses of levodopa to make the significant deterioration in patient’s condition, the high incidence of long-term medication side effects, intracranial stereotactic surgery have complications including intracranial hemorrhage caused, facial paralysis, dysarthria, etc. In recent years, acupuncture showed its advantages in clinical applications in effective and reliable, no significant side effects, and can reduce the amount of dopamine in drug toxicities, and prevent disease progression and improve patient quality of life advantages, etc, meanwhile has made encouraging progress in the study of acupuncture prescription. Therefore, this experiment is to investigate the mechanism of acupuncture treatment of Parkinson’s disease, in order to provide PD theory for the clinical treatment. Methods:140 male SD rats were randomly divided into normal group, sham-operation group(n=30/group). Model group, electroacupuncture(EA) group(n=40/group). Rotary PD rat model was prepared by unilateral stereotactic microinjection of 6-OHDA in the striatum. In sham-operation group, the injection method and injection site was same with model group, but the injection was replaced with 0.2% Vic of physiological saline. The EA group was treated for 30 min by electroacupuncture at “Fengfu”(GV16)、“Taichong”(LR3) after the model successfully made, once a day for two courses, 7 days for a course of treatment. Select some rats in each group for materials and processing. Immunohistochemical method assay TH-positive neurons number changes in the nigra. Glu concentration in the striatum was detected by HPLC assay. RT-PCR method and Western blot were used to detect the expression of GLT-1mRNA and GLASTmRNA. Results:Compared with the model group, EA group behavior the exception significantly improved(P<0.01). Normal group and sham-operation group behavioral did not change significantly. Immunohistochemical method results shows that, Compared with the normal group and Sham-operation group, TH-positive neurons counting model group significantly decreased, Compared with the model group, TH-positive neurons count in EA group significantly increased(P<0.01).HPLC assay results shows that, Compared with the normal group and Sham-operation group, Glu concentration in model group significantly increased(P<0.01). Compared with the model group, Glu concentration in EA group obviously decreased(P<0.05).RT-PCR method results shows that, Compared with the normal group and Sham-operation group, GLT-1mRNA and GLASTmRNA expression in model group significantly decreased(P<0.01). Compared with the model group, GLT-1mRNA expression in EA group significantly increased(P<0.01).Western blot results shows that, RT-PCR method results shows that, Compared with the normal group and Sham-operation group, GLT-1mRNA and GLASTmRNA expression in model group significantly decreased(P<0.01). Compared with the model group, GLT-1mRNA expression in EA group significantly increased(P<0.05). Conclusion:The protection and restoration of electroacupuncture on PD dopamine neurons may concerned with that electroacupuncture therapy can improve the brain glutamate transporter GLT-1 expression and activity, reduce thecytotoxicity caused by the extracellular Glu relevant, promoting TH expression enhanced in the nigra.