Neurochemical Research

, Volume 33, Issue 10, pp 2070–2077 | Cite as

Distinct Responses of DREAM to Electroacupuncture Stimulation with Different Frequencies During Physiological and Inflammatory Conditions in Rats

Original Paper
First Online:
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Accepted:

Abstract

Our previous results indicated that dynorphin in the spinal dorsal horn mediates the analgesic effect of high frequency electroacupuncture stimulation (EAS). Here we report that the transcriptional repressor downstream regulatory element antagonist modulator (DREAM) of dynorphin precursor-preprodynorphin (PPD) may participate in this process. In normal rats, 100 Hz, but not 2 Hz EAS triggered the nuclear export and membrane translocation of DREAM concomitantly with the upregulation of PPD mRNA in the dorsal horn. In inflammatory rats, both 2 and 100 Hz EAS alleviated thermal and mechanical hypersensitivity and caused the nuclear export and membrane translocation of DREAM, but only 100 Hz EAS enhanced the mRNA level of PPD and DREAM. These results suggest the role of DREAM in the dorsal horn in the regulation of PPD gene expression by EAS is frequency dependent, and DREAM may exert different roles in different frequency EAS under physiological and inflammatory conditions.

Keywords

DREAM Preprodynorphin Electroacupuncture Frequency Spinal dorsal horn Inflammation 
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Notes

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30330230 and 30470550); a grant from the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (5052019), the grant for Outstanding Young Teacher of Higher Academic School to YW from the Ministry of Education, China [2001-182] and a grant from State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People’s Republic of China (04-05JP04) to YW.

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© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2008

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Neuroscience Research Institute & Department of Neurobiology, The Key Laboratory for Neuroscience of the Ministry of Education and of HealthPeking UniversityBeijingPeople’s Republic of China

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