OBJECTIVE: The present study evaluated the effects of deep acupuncture at Weizhong acupoint (BL40) on bladder function and brain activity in a rat model of overactive bladder (OAB), and investigated the possible mechanisms around the acupuncture area that initiate the effects of acupuncture. METHODS: Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups, comprising a control group, model group, group treated with deep acupuncture at BL40, group treated with shallow acupuncture at BL40, group treated with acupuncture at non-acupoint next to BL40, and group treated with acupuncture at Xuanzhong (GB39). Urodynamic evaluation was used to observe the urination, and functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to observe the brain activation. The mechanism of acupuncture at BL40 in regulating bladder function was explored by toluidine blue staining and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the mechanism was verified by stabilizing mast cells (MCs) or blocking tibial nerve. RESULTS: Deep acupuncture at BL40 significantly increased the intercontraction interval in OAB rats and enhanced the mean amplitude of low frequency fluctuation of primary motor cortex (M1), periaquaductal gray matter (PAG), and pontine micturition center (PMC). It also increased the zero-lag functional connectivity between M1 and PAG and between PAG and PMC. Shallow acupuncture at BL40 and acupuncture at non-acupoint or GB39 had no effect on these indexes. Further studies suggested that deep acupuncture at BL40 increased the number and degranulation rate of MCs as well as the contents of 5-hydroxytryptamine, substance P, and histamine in the tissues around BL40. Blocking the tibial nerve by lidocaine injection or inhibiting MC degranulation by sodium cromoglycate injection obstructed the effects of acupuncture on restoring urinary function and modulating brain activation in OAB rats. CONCLUSION Deep acupuncture at BL40 may be more effective for inhibiting OAB by promoting degranulation of MCs around the acupoint and stimulating tibial nerve, thereby regulating the activation of the brain area that controls the lower urinary tract. Please cite this article as: Liu X, Zhang CY, Du XY, Li SS, Wang YQ, Zheng Y, Deng HZ, Fang XQ, Li JY, Wang ZQ, Xu SF, Mi YQ. Acupuncture at Weizhong (BL40) attenuates acetic acid-induced overactive bladder in rats by regulating brain neural activity through the modulation of mast cells and tibial nerves. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(1): 46-55.
Animals ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive/physiopathology* ; Mast Cells/physiology* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Female ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture Points ; Rats ; Brain/physiopathology* ; Tibial Nerve/physiopathology* ; Acetic Acid ; Urinary Bladder/physiopathology*

To study the effects of squalene on behavior and related proteins of glutamate toxicity pathways in the mice with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), thirteen different kinds of CUMS were applied to the male BALB/C mice for 35 days to establish the mouse model of CUMS depression. The stress conditions include food deprivation, noise, stroboscopic lighting, hot stress (45℃), brake, exposure to lower temperature (4℃), shake, soiled cage, clamp tail, water deprivation, swimming, electric shock, presence of a foreign object in the home cage. The mice were treated with squalene at 3 doses (80, 40 and 20 mg·kg^-1·d^-1) through oral administration from the 3rd week continuously. Three weeks later, the impacts were evaluated in the mice with behavioral tests, and malondialdehyde (MDA) and hippocampal glutamate (GLU) contents, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in hippocampus were measured by spectropho-tometry or reversed phase HPLC (RP-HPLC). Western blot was used to examine the expression level of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunits epsilon-2 (NMDAε2), calmodulin kinaseⅡ (CaMKⅡ) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1) in hippocampus. Compared with model group, the squalene-treated mice exhibited an increase in body weight, sucrose preference rate and the times of crossing-movement and rearing-movement, shortened the immobility time in the tails suspension test and forced swimming test in the depression mice (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the treated mice had a significant decrease in the contents of GLU and MDA (P<0.05) in hippocampus, increased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and downregulated the expression of NMDAε2, CaMKⅡ and NOS1 in the hippocampus. In conclusion, squalene shows anti-depressant effect on depressant model in mice, meanwhile the downregulated ROS, related proteins of GLU-NMDAε2-CaMKⅡ-NOS1 signal pathways may be related to the antidepressant effect of squalene.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of ganoderma spore oil(GSO) on behavior of the mice with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) and its possible neurophysiology mechanisms. METHODS: Thirteen different kinds of chronic unpredictable mild stress were given to the male BALB/C mice for establishing the mouse model of depression. The mice were treated with GSO at 3 doses (850, 283, 141.5 mg·kg-1·d-1) or vehicle [(oil) or fluoxetine (10 mg·kg-1·d-1)] by oral administration from the 3rd week. After 2 weeks administration, the mice was evaluated by behavioral tests, and the contents of hippocampal glutamate (GLU) and γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) were analyzed by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The contents of hippocampal brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were measured by ELISA kit. RESULTS: Compared with model group, GSO increased the body weight, sucrose preference rate and open field test score, shortened the immobility time in the tails suspension test and forced swimming test in the depression mice (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Meanwhile, GSO significantly decreased the contents of GLU (P < 0.01) and increased the contents of BDNF(P<0.01), and the contents of GABA did not changes (P>0.05) in the hippocampus. CONCLUSION: GSO shows obvious anti-depressant effect on depressant model mice. The antidepressant effect of GSO may be related to decreasing GLU contents and increasing BDNF contents.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of WR2721(amifostine) against bone marrow hematopoietic damage of mice exposed to 6.5 Gy of (60)Co-γ ray. A total of 60 C57/BL6J mice was divided into 3 groups:normal group (mice were injected with physiological salt solution), irradiation group (mice were injected with physiologic salt solution before irradiation) and WR2721 group (mice were injected with WR2721 before irradiation). The WBC, neutrophil (Neut), Plt and RBC levels in peripheral blood of 3 group mice were counted within 60 days after irradiation; the bone marrow nuclear cells (BMNC) were counted at 2 and 24 hours after irradiation; the hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (LK/LSK) level and colony formation capability were detected by flow cytometry at 2 and 24 hours after irradiation. The results indicated that the counts of WBC and neut at 4 and 18 days, Plt at 7-18 days and RBC at 10-30 day after irradiation in WR2721 group were higher than those in irradiation group (P < 0.05); the BMNC, LSK and LK levels obviously increased at 24 hours after irradiation (P < 0.05), the CFU-GEMM, CFU-GM, CFU-MK BFU-E and CFU-E all significantly increased at 2 and 24 hours after irradiation (P < 0.01), as compared with irradiation group. It is concluded that WR2721 can effectively alleviate early hematopoietic damage and promote the fast recovery of peripheral blood cells in mice exposed to γ-ray, suggesting that the WR2721 has significant radioprotective effect on hematopoietic system.
Amifostine ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Blood Cell Count ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Gamma Rays ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Radiation-Protective Agents ; pharmacology ; Whole-Body Irradiation