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Electro-acupuncture Pretreatment at Zusanli (ST36) Acupoint Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation in Rats by Inhibiting Ca2+ Influx Associated with Cannabinoid CB2 Receptors

Inflammation volume 42, pages 211–220 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) pretreatment at zusanli (ST36) acupoint on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxemic rat model and explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. Rats were treated with EA at ST36 for 7 days before being subjected to LPS. Two hours post-LPS, samples such as serum, local acupoint tissues, and spleens were collected and processed for investigations including cytokine production, cytosolic calcium (Ca2+) concentration, Ca2+ influx, cannabinoid CB2 receptor (CB2R) expression, and TLR4/NF-κB signaling. Our results showed EA pretreatment significantly attenuated LPS-induced inflammatory cytokine production, such as TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. EA also enhanced CB2R expression, inhibited Ca2+ influx, and inactivated TLR4/NF-κB signaling, subsequently resulting in a substantial reduction of Ca2+ concentration. Importantly, CB2R antagonist AM630 effectively abrogated the suppressive effect of EA at ST36 on the endotoxemic rats, suggesting CB2R was involved in the anti-inflammatory effect of EA. EA pretreatment could enhance CB2R expression, inhibit Ca2+ influx, and inactivate TLR4/NF-κB signaling, which contributes to the alleviation of LPS-induced inflammation in rats.

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Funding

This study was supported by the grants from the Health and Family Planning Commission of Hubei Province (No. 2013Z-Z01) and the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province of China (No. 2015CFA096).

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Author notes

  1. Tao Chen and Yong Xiong contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, 1 Huangjiahu West Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430065, China

    Tao Chen, Dan Zheng, Hui Ke & Nina Yin

  2. College of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430065, China

    Yong Xiong & Jun Xie

  3. School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430065, China

    Man Long

  4. Hubei Provincial Collaborative Innovation Center of Preventive Treatment by Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, No. 1 Huangjiahu West Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430065, China

    Zebin Chen

Authors
  1. Tao Chen
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  2. Yong Xiong
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Contributions

Tao Chen, Yong Xiong, Nina Yin, and Zebin Chen designed the study; Tao Chen and Yong Xiong performed the experiments and wrote the manuscript; Man Long and Dan Zheng contributed to the rat model and EA pretreatment; Hui Ke helped analyze the data; and Jun Xie and Zebin Chen revised the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Nina Yin or Zebin Chen.

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Chen, T., Xiong, Y., Long, M. et al. Electro-acupuncture Pretreatment at Zusanli (ST36) Acupoint Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation in Rats by Inhibiting Ca2+ Influx Associated with Cannabinoid CB2 Receptors. Inflammation 42, 211–220 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-018-0885-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-018-0885-5

KEY WORDS

  • electro-acupuncture
  • lipopolysaccharide
  • inflammation
  • calcium
  • cannabinoid CB2 receptor
  • TLR4/NF-κB signaling