Anti-arrhythmic effect of acupuncture pretreatment in the rats subjected to simulative global ischemia and reperfusion--involvement of intracellular Ca2+ and connexin 43

Junhong Gao; Yuxue Zhao; Yumin Wang; Juanjuan Xin; Jingjing Cui; Shuhua Ma; Fengyan Lu; Lianping Qin; Xiaochun Yu

doi:10.1186/s12906-015-0521-y

Anti-arrhythmic effect of acupuncture pretreatment in the rats subjected to simulative global ischemia and reperfusion--involvement of intracellular Ca2+ and connexin 43

BMC Complement Altern Med. 2015 Feb 5:15:5. doi: 10.1186/s12906-015-0521-y.

Authors

Junhong Gao¹, Yuxue Zhao², Yumin Wang³, Juanjuan Xin⁴, Jingjing Cui⁵, Shuhua Ma⁶, Fengyan Lu⁷, Lianping Qin⁸, Xiaochun Yu⁹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physiology, Institute of Acupuncture, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16 Nanxiaojie, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100700, Dongzhimennei, China. [email protected].
² Department of Physiology, Institute of Acupuncture, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16 Nanxiaojie, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100700, Dongzhimennei, China. [email protected].
³ Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Chifeng University, Chifeng, 024005, Inner Mongolia, China. [email protected].
⁴ Department of Physiology, Institute of Acupuncture, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16 Nanxiaojie, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100700, Dongzhimennei, China. [email protected].
⁵ Department of Physiology, Institute of Acupuncture, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16 Nanxiaojie, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100700, Dongzhimennei, China. [email protected].
⁶ Department of Physiology, The Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16 Nanxiaojie, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100700, Dongzhimennei, China. [email protected].
⁷ Department of Physiology, Institute of Acupuncture, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16 Nanxiaojie, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100700, Dongzhimennei, China. [email protected].
⁸ Department of Physiology, Institute of Acupuncture, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16 Nanxiaojie, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100700, Dongzhimennei, China. [email protected].
⁹ Department of Physiology, Institute of Acupuncture, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16 Nanxiaojie, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100700, Dongzhimennei, China. [email protected].

Abstract

Background: The previous study showed that the cardiac arrhythmias induced by myocardial ischemia and reperfusion were attenuated by the pretreatment of acupuncture; however, the related mechanism is not understood. The present study was therefore designed to determine whether intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]i) and connexin 43 (Cx43) are involved in the mediation of the anti-arrhythmic effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) pretreatment in the rats subjected to simulative global ischemia and reperfusion (SGIR).

Methods: SGIR was made in the isolated heart by a low flow perfusion followed by a flow restoration. Four groups of animals are involved in the present study, including normal control group, SGIR group, EA group and EA plus 18 beta-glycyrrhetinic acid (EAG) group. For EA pretreatment, bilateral Neiguan acupoints (PC6) of the rats were stimulated for 30 min once a day in 3 consecutive days. Cx43 antagonist was given to the rats in EAG group 30 minutes before the EA pretreatment. The resting [Ca(2+)]i concentration, calcium oscillation, the contents of total Cx43 and non-phosphrylated Cx43 and arrhythmia score were compared among different groups.

Results: In EA group, the arrhythmic score, the resting [Ca(2+)]i concentration and the number of [Ca(2+)]i oscillations were all significantly less than those in SGIR group (all P < 0.05), and interestingly, after EA pretreatment, the contents of nonphosphated Cx43 in the EA group were significantly lower than that in SGIR group respectively (P < 0.05). However, when the rats were treated with Cx43 antagonist prior to the EA pretreatment, the protection effects induced by EA pretreatment were reversed.

Conclusions: The results showed that EA pretreatment could produce anti-arrhythmic effect in the rats subjected to SGIR. The anti-arrhythmic effect of EA pretreatment may be due at least partially to the inhibition of SGIR-induced calcium overload and [Ca(2+)]i oscillations, reduction of non-phosphorylated Cx43 and the enhancement of the corresponding phosphorylated Cx43 in the cardiac cells.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Acupuncture Points*
Animals
Anti-Arrhythmia Agents
Arrhythmias, Cardiac / metabolism
Arrhythmias, Cardiac / therapy*
Calcium / metabolism*
Connexin 43 / metabolism*
Electroacupuncture / methods*
Heart*
Male
Myocardial Ischemia / metabolism
Myocardial Ischemia / therapy*
Rats

Substances

Anti-Arrhythmia Agents
Connexin 43
Calcium