Normalization of ventral tegmental area structure following acupuncture in a rat model of heroin relapse  

作　　者：Rongjun Zhang Xinghui Cai Xiaoge Song Chaoyang Dong Xiaorong Hou Lei Lv 

机构地区：[1]Anhui University of Chinese Medicine [2]Anhui Academy of Medical Sciences

出　　处：《Neural Regeneration Research》2014年第3期301-307,共7页中国神经再生研究（英文版）

基　　金：This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81173325;the Anhui Provincial Higher Learning School Excellent Youth Project,No.2010SQRL105;Anhui Provincial Higher Learning Natural Science Project,No.KJ2013Z180

摘　　要：Drugs can cause obvious damage to the brain. To verify the relationship between acupuncture, neurotrophic factor expression and brain cell structural changes, this study established a rat model of heroin relapse using intramuscular injection of increasing amounts of heroin. During the detoxification period, rat models received acupuncture at Baihui （DU20） and Dazhui （DU14）. Electron microscopy demonstrated that the structure of the ventral tegmental area in heroin relapse rats gradually became normalized after acupuncture treatment. Immunohistochem- ical staining exhibited that the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor increased in the ventral tegmental area following acupuncture. Moreover, the effects were similar to that of methadone, a type of medicine called an opioid. Results suggested that acupuncture at Baihui and Dazhui protected brain neurons against injury in rats with heroin relapse by promoting brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glial cell line-de-rived neurotrophic factor expression.Drugs can cause obvious damage to the brain. To verify the relationship between acupuncture, neurotrophic factor expression and brain cell structural changes, this study established a rat model of heroin relapse using intramuscular injection of increasing amounts of heroin. During the detoxification period, rat models received acupuncture at Baihui （DU20） and Dazhui （DU14）. Electron microscopy demonstrated that the structure of the ventral tegmental area in heroin relapse rats gradually became normalized after acupuncture treatment. Immunohistochem- ical staining exhibited that the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor increased in the ventral tegmental area following acupuncture. Moreover, the effects were similar to that of methadone, a type of medicine called an opioid. Results suggested that acupuncture at Baihui and Dazhui protected brain neurons against injury in rats with heroin relapse by promoting brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glial cell line-de-rived neurotrophic factor expression.

关 键 词：nerve regeneration acupuncture and moxibustion heroin relapse rats neurotrophic fac-tor nerve cell ultrastructure ACUPUNCTURE MIDBRAIN Dazhui （DU14） Baihui （DU20） NSFC grant neural regeneration 

分 类 号：R245[医药卫生—针灸推拿学]