Impact of electro-acupuncture on EAAT2 and NMDAR-2B expression in goats with visceral hypersensitivity

Adnan Hassan Tahir; Yi Ding; Juan Wan; Manoj Kumar Shah; Habibullah Janyaro; Xiao-Jing Li; Ming-Xing Ding

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e40700

Impact of electro-acupuncture on EAAT2 and NMDAR-2B expression in goats with visceral hypersensitivity

Heliyon. 2024 Dec 2;10(23):e40700. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e40700. eCollection 2024 Dec 15.

Authors

Adnan Hassan Tahir^{1

2}, Yi Ding¹, Juan Wan^{1

3}, Manoj Kumar Shah^{1

4}, Habibullah Janyaro^{1

5}, Xiao-Jing Li^{1

6}, Ming-Xing Ding¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
² Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
³ Gannan Innovation and Transformation Medical Research Institute, First Affiliated Hospital, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China.
⁴ Department of Pharmacology and Surgery, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Rampur Chitwan, Nepal.
⁵ Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Sakrand, Pakistan.
⁶ School of Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Objective: This study evaluates the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) on visceral hypersensitivity (VH) and the expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-2B (NMDAR-2B) and glutamate transporter EAAT2 in goats.

Methods: Twenty-four goats were divided into four groups: saline, 2, 4, 6-Trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS), TNBS + EA, and sham EA. EA was administered at Zusanli (ST36) with 60 Hz and 1-3 mA on specified days. Electromyography (EMG) recorded visceromotor response to colorectal distention (CRD). Spinal cords were collected for immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and RT-PCR. The ileum was examined histologically.

Results: The repeated EA administration significantly attenuated VH (P < 0.05) in TNBS-treated goats without similar effects in the sham group. NMDAR-2B expression increased (P < 0.01), and EAAT2 expression decreased (P < 0.01) in the TNBS group compared to saline. EA increased the EAAT2 and decreased the NMDAR-2B expression (P < 0.01) compared to TNBS, with no change in the sham-EA group.

Conclusion: EA may alleviate VH by upregulating EAAT2 and downregulating NMDAR-2B in the spinal cord of TNBS-treated goats, indicating its potential for treating chronic visceral pain in gastrointestinal disorders.

Keywords: Electro-acupuncture; Glutamate transporter EAAT2; Goat; Ileitis; Inflammatory bowel disease; NMDAR-2B; TNBS; Visceral hypersensitivity.