This study was performed to explore the effect and significance of gastric mucosal histology and ITF mRNA in stress-related rats with lectroacupuncture (EA) on the stomach channel and gallbladder channel. Forty rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: blank control group, model control group, Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming(SMFY) group, Gallbladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang (GMFY) group. After some procedures, all rats (except normal group) were made model by WRS on day 7. Then the gastric mucosa tissure of each rat was taken off after assessment of gastric mucosal lesion index(GUI), and half of above tissue in each group of was detected the expression of ITF mRNA by Reverse-transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) method, meanwhile the gastric mucosal ulcer index（UI） and the histological change and degree of injury of gastric mucosa were observed grossly under light microscope or magnifier. As a result, the UI value in SMFY/ GMFY group decreased obvious or extremly obvious（P﹤ 0.05 or 0.01）; EA had a tendency of improving: The level of ITF mRNA expression of SMFY group was strongly higher than that of model group(P﹤0.01), while that of GMFY group was high than model group but no statistic difference(P﹥0.05); Mucosal hyperaemia and edema but little hemorrhage and gastric ulcer could be observed in group with EA under light microscope, and that of SMFY group was more significant than GMFY. The difference effect of gastric mucosal protection by EA on stomach channel and gallbladder channel, was related to the expression variance of intestinal trefoil factor.

Clinical practice has shown that acupuncture at facial acupoints has curative effects onsome visceral diseases (especially gastrointestinal diseases). However, the physiological basis has not been clarified yet. In the present study, expression of c-fos in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) of rats following gastric distension and electroacupuncture (EA) at Yangbai (GB14) and Sibai (ST2) as well as Jiache (ST6) acupoints was observed by using immunohistochemistry technique. After EA at the three facial acupoints, c-fos immunoreactive (c-fos-IR) neurons were mainly distributed in the medial (mNTS) and intermediate subnucleus of the NTS, and a few were scatteredly distributed in the dorsalmedial and commissural subnucleus of the NTS. Furthermore, there is difference in the number of c-fos-IR neurons in the mNTS following EA at the three facial acupoints. The number in the EA at ST2 and GB14 group is the highest and the lowest, respectively. Gastric distension induces obviously the expression of c-fos, which is mainly confined in the mNTS. The results suggest that the noxious visceral and somatic afferent information from the stomach and face may converge in the mNTS, which may be involved in the effect of EA at facial acupoints on the gastrointestinal pain.

expression in gastric mucosal cells. Such tendency existed in the model group (0.7104 ± 0.0457) but with no signifi cant difference (P = 0.495 > 0.05) and in model serum group (0.8516 ± 0.0409) with an extremely obvious difference (P = 0.001 < 0.01). Furthermore, the EGFR gene expression in stomach serum group was significantly higher than that in gallbladder serum group (P = 0.00<0.01). CONCLUSION: The present study shows that serum derived from rats treated with electroacupuncture atstomach meridian acupoints can distinctly increase the EGFR gene expression of gastric mucosal cells. Therefore, there is certain meridian specificity in the serum, which could provide a proof for the TCM theory “particular relation between meridian and internal organ”.

Acupuncture has been widely applied to treat gastrointestinal diseases in the clinic. However, its precise mechanism remains unknown. In the present study, effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at Zusanli acupoints (ST36) on gastric myoelectric activity and substance P (SP) in the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) were observed. EA at ST36 significantly increased the frequency of slow waves and the frequency of the spike potentials superimposed on the slow waves, which persisted for 90 min after cessation of EA and was completely abolished after bilateral vagotomy. Meanwhile, the mean optical density of SP immunoreactive fibers in the DVC increased following EA. The results suggested that EA at ST36 promoted the gastric myoelectric activity, which was regulated by the vagus, and SP in the DVC may be involved in the excitatory effects. Furthermore, EA had a relative long-term post-effect. We presumed that DVC may be a supraspinal center in the effect of EA on gastric function. q 2003 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.