Acupressure bladder meridian alleviates anxiety disorder in rats by regulating MAPK and BDNF signal pathway

Ping Lu; Zhiyang Yin; Min Fang; Lei Yao; Nan Zhang; Shuaipan Zhang; Guangxin Guo; Pei He; Yuan Qin

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114534

Acupressure bladder meridian alleviates anxiety disorder in rats by regulating MAPK and BDNF signal pathway

Physiol Behav. 2024 Apr 5:114534. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114534. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Ping Lu¹, Zhiyang Yin², Min Fang³, Lei Yao⁴, Nan Zhang⁵, Shuaipan Zhang⁶, Guangxin Guo⁷, Pei He², Yuan Qin²

Affiliations

¹ Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai, P.R.China; Institute of Tuina, Shanghai Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R.China; School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina,Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R.China.
² Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai, P.R.China.
³ Institute of Tuina, Shanghai Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R.China; School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina,Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R.China. Electronic address: fm6505928@sohu.com.
⁴ Department of Tuina, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China. Electronic address: yaolei@sjtu.edu.cn.
⁵ Department of Tuina, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China.
⁶ Institute of Tuina, Shanghai Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R.China; School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina,Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R.China.
⁷ Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai, P.R.China; School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina,Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R.China.

PMID: 38583548
DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114534

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of acupressure bladder meridian (ABM) on anxiety in rats. Chronic stress was induced rats to establish rat anxiety model. Shuttle experiment and open field experiments of were used to measure behaviors. The levels of cytokines in serum and hippocampus of rats were detected. Brain neurotransmitters (dopamine, 5- hydroxy tryptamine, norepinephrine) were detected by Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting were used to detect MAPK and BDNF signal pathway in hippocampus of rats. ABM significantly improve behaviors, decreased cytokine levels in serum and hippocampus. ABM restored the changes of neurotransmitters and significantly decreased protein expressions of MAPK signal pathway and increased protein expressions of BDNF signal pathway in hippocampus of rats. The results shown that ABM significantly improved anxiety via inhibition of MAPK signal pathway and increased BDNF signal pathway.

Keywords: MAPK; acupressure bladder meridian; anxiety disorder; hippocampus.