Acupuncture stimulation at HT7 alleviates depression-induced behavioral changes via regulation of the serotonin system in the prefrontal cortex of maternally-separated rat pups

A possible application of acupuncture in alleviating depression-like behavioral changes and regulating serotonin signaling in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of maternally-separated rat pups was investigated in this study. On postnatal day 15, rat pups were maternally-separated and received acupuncture...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of physiological sciences 2012-07, Vol.62 (4), p.351-357
Main Authors: Park, Hyemee, Yoo, Doyoung, Kwon, Sunoh, Yoo, Tae-Won, Park, Hi-Joon, Hahm, Dae-Hyun, Lee, Hyejung, Kim, Seung-Tae
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acupuncture Points
Acupuncture Therapy
Animals
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor - metabolism
Depression - physiopathology
Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid - metabolism
Maternal Deprivation
Models, Animal
Motor Activity - physiology
Original Paper
Prefrontal Cortex - metabolism
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Serotonin - metabolism
Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins - metabolism
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A possible application of acupuncture in alleviating depression-like behavioral changes and regulating serotonin signaling in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of maternally-separated rat pups was investigated in this study. On postnatal day 15, rat pups were maternally-separated and received acupuncture stimulation at acupoint HT7 or ST36 once a day for 7 days. On postnatal day 21, the tail suspension test was performed and the PFC was harvested. Tissue levels of serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA) were then measured by high-performance liquid chromatography and expression of serotonin transporter (5-HTT) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were assessed by western blotting. Levels of 5-HT and 5-HIAA were not significantly changed, but the 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio was significantly increased by maternal separation. The immobility time of maternally-separated rat pups was increased, and increased 5-HTT expression and reduced BDNF level were observed in the PFC. But acupuncture stimulation at HT7 alleviated the behavioral change and regulated the changes of 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio, 5-HTT, and BDNF. In conclusion, acupuncture stimulation at HT7 can relieve maternal separation-induced changes, and we propose that regulation of the 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio and of 5-HTT expression by acupuncture stimulation are important acupuncture-induced benefits in this animal model of depression.
ISSN:1880-6546
1880-6562
DOI:10.1007/s12576-012-0211-1