Objective:To investigate the influence of electroacupuncture(EA)on ghrelin and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/endothelial nitric oxide synthase(PI3K/Akt/eNOS)signaling pathway in sponta-neously hypertensive rats(SHRs).Methods:Eight Wistar-Kyoto rats were used as the healthy blood pressure(BP)control(normal group),and 32 SHRs were randomized into model group,EA group,EA plus ghrelin group(EA+G group),and EA plus PF04628935 group(a potent ghrelin receptor blocker;EA+P group)using a random number table.Rats in the normal group and model group did not receive treatment,but were immobilized for 20 min per day,5 times a week,for 4 continuous weeks.SHRs in the EA group,EA+G group and EA+P group were immobilized and given EA treatment in 20 min sessions,5 times per week,for 4 weeks.Additionally,1 h before EA,SHRs in the EA+G group and EA+P group were intraperitoneally injected with ghrelin or PF04628935,respectively,for 4 weeks.The tail-cuff method was used to measure BP.After the 4-week intervention,the rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation,and pathological morphology of the abdom-inal aorta was observed using hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to detect the levels of ghrelin,nitric oxide(NO),endothelin-1(ET-1)and thromboxane A2(TXA2)in the serum.Isolated thoracic aortic ring experiment was performed to evaluate vasorelax-ation.Western blot was used to measure the expression of PI3K,Akt,phosphorylated Akt(p-Akt)and eNOS proteins in the abdominal aorta.Further,quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)was conducted to measure the relative levels of mRNA expression for PI3K,Akt and eNOS in the abdominal aorta.Results:EA significantly reduced the systolic BP(SBP)and diastolic BP(DBP)(P＜0.05).HE staining showed that EA improved the morphology of the vascular endothelium to some extent.Results of ELISA indicated that higher concentrations of ghrelin and NO,and lower concentrations of ET-1 and TXA2 were presented in the EA group(P＜0.05).The isolated thoracic aortic ring experiment demon-strated that the vasodilation capacity of the thoracic aorta increased in the EA group.Results of Western blot and qRT-PCR showed that EA increased the abundance of PI3K,p-Akt/Akt and eNOS pro-teins,as well as expression levels of PI3K,Akt and eNOS mRNAs(P＜0.05).In the EA+G group,SBP and DBP decreased(P＜0.05),ghrelin concentrations increased(P＜0.05),and the concentrations of ET-1 and TXA2 decreased(P＜0.05),relative to the EA group.In addition,the levels of PI3K and eNOS pro-teins,the p-Akt/Akt ratio,and the expression of PI3K,Akt and eNOS mRNAs increased significantly in the EA+G group(P＜0.05),while PF04628935 reversed these effects.Conclusion:EA effectively reduced BP and protected the vascular endothelium,and these effects may be linked to promoting the release of ghrelin and activation of the PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway.

Yue Zhang;Dong-ling Zhong;Ya-ling Zheng;Yu-xi Li;Yi-jie Huang;Yi-jing Jiang;Rong-jiang Jin;Juan Li

School of Health Preservation and Rehabilitation,Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Chengdu 610075,Sichuan Province,China;Department of Rehabilitation Medicine,The Second People's Hospital of Chengdu,Chengdu 610017,Sichuan Province,China;Department of Rehabilitation Medicine,The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University,Shenzhen 518107,Guangdong Province,China;Department of Rehabilitation Medicine,Rehabilitation Hospital Affiliated to Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Fuzhou 350003,Fujian Province,China

结合医学学报（英文版）

[1]Yue Zhang;Dong-ling Zhong;Ya-ling Zheng;Yu-xi Li;Yi-jie Huang;Yi-jing Jiang;Rong-jiang Jin;Juan Li-.Influence of electroacupuncture on ghrelin and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/endothelial nitric oxide synthase signaling pathway in spontaneously hypertensive rats)[J].结合医学学报（英文版）,2022(05):432-441

EA+G,PF04628935,EA+P,abdom,vasorelax

Influence,electroacupuncture,ghrelin,phosphoinositide,kinase,endothelial,nitric,oxide,synthase,signaling,pathway,spontaneously,hypertensive,rats,Objective,To,investigate,influence,PI3K,Akt,eNOS,SHRs,Methods,Eight,Wistar,Kyoto,were,used,healthy,blood,pressure,control,normal,group,randomized,into,model,plus,potent,receptor,blocker,using,number,table,Rats,did,not,receive,treatment,but,immobilized,day,times,continuous,weeks,given,sessions,Additionally,before,intraperitoneally,injected,respectively,tail,cuff,method,was,measure,After,intervention,sacrificed,by,cervical,dislocation,pathological,morphology,aorta,observed,hematoxylin,eosin,HE,staining,Enzyme,linked,immunosorbent,assay,detect,levels,endothelin,ET,thromboxane,TXA2,serum,Isolated,thoracic,aortic,ring,experiment,performed,evaluate,blot,expression,phosphorylated,proteins,abdominal,Further,quantitative,real,polymerase,chain,reaction,qRT,conducted,relative,Results,significantly,reduced,systolic,SBP,diastolic,DBP,showed,that,improved,vascular,endothelium,some,extent,indicated,higher,concentrations,lower,presented,isolated,demon,strated,vasodilation,capacity,increased,abundance,well,mRNAs,decreased,addition,while,reversed,these,effects,Conclusion,effectively,protected,may,promoting,release,activation

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