Electroacupuncture activates phosphorylated AMPKαto regulate the expression of the mTOR gene in rats with functional dyspepsia
10.3760/cma.j.issn.0254-1424.2018.11.002
- VernacularTitle:电针激活磷酸化AMP Kα通路对功能性消化不良大鼠mTOR基因表达的影响
- Author:
Lei TANG
1
,
2
;
Hongxing ZHANG
;
Paidi XU
;
Zhaoxia KANG
Author Information
1. 430065 武汉,湖北中医药大学针灸骨伤学院
2. 华中科技大学同济医学院附属武汉市中心医院康复科
- Keywords:
Electroacupuncture;
Functional dyspepsia;
mTOR;
AMPKα
- From:
Chinese Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
2018;40(11):809-813
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective To investigate how electroacupuncture activates the AMPKαpathway in the treatment of functional dyspepsia ( FD) . Methods Tail clipping stimulation was combined with an irregular diet to induce FD in 20 Sprague-Dawley rats. They were randomly divided into a model group and an electroacupuncture group, each of 10. Ten others had no FD induced and formed a normal group. The rats in the electroacupuncture group were given 10 days of electroacupuncture treatment, while those in the normal and model groups were restrained and fixed like those in the electroacupuncture group, but not given electroacupuncture. The expression of phosphorylated adenosine mono-phosphate-activated protein kinase alpha (p-AMPKα), phosphorylated tuberin (p-TSC2) and Rheb protein in the stomachs and small intestines of each group were detected using the western blotting. Levels of mTOR mRNA were quantified using the reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction ( RT-PCR) . Results The western blotting re-sults showed that compared with the normal group, the expression levels of p-AMPKα and p-TSC2 in the stomachs and small intestines of the model group decreased significantly, while that of Rheb protein increased significantly. Compared with the model group, the expression of p-AMPKαand p-TSC2 increased significantly after the electroacu-puncture treatment, while that of Rheb protein decreased significantly. According to the RT-PCR results, the expres-sion of mTOR mRNA in the stomachs and small intestines of the model group was up-regulated significantly compared with the normal group. Compared with the model group, expression of mTOR mRNA in the electroacupuncture group was significantly down-regulated. Conclusion Electroacupuncture can activate the AMPKα pathway, up-regulate the expression of the related protein p-TSC2, and decrease the expression of Rheb protein, thereby down-regulating the transcription of the mTOR gene. That would serve to treat FD.
