Electroacupuncture at Zusanli (ST-36) Restores Impaired Interstitial Cells of Cajal and Regulates Stem Cell Factor Pathway in the Colon of Diabetic Rats

Abstract

<jats:p>The present study determined the effects of electroacupuncture on interstitial cells of Cajal and investigated whether changes in the stem cell factor pathway were involved. Animals were assigned to normal, diabetic, diabetic plus sham stimulation, diabetic plus low-frequency stimulation, and diabetic plus high-frequency stimulation groups. Electroacupuncture was performed daily for 8 weeks. In vitro contractility of colonic muscle strips were studied. Expression of c-kit (the marker of interstitial cells of Cajal) and stem cell factor were measured. The results showed that (1) contraction of colonic muscle strips was significantly elevated in low- and high-frequency stimulation groups and (2) in contrast to the diabetic group, the expressions of c-kit and stem cell factor were markedly increased in the low- and high-frequency stimulation groups. These results indicate that both low- and high-frequency stimulation can promote the contractility of colonic muscle strips partially through increasing the number of interstitial cells of Cajal, and these effects could be mediated by an elevated endogenous stem cell factor.</jats:p>

Electroacupuncture Regulates Apoptosis/Proliferation of Intramuscular Interstitial Cells of Cajal and Restores Colonic Motility in Diabetic Constipation Rats

“…Forrest et al found that in the colon, ICC-IM as well as ICC-SMP were affected most severely [ 8 ]. Moreover, our recent studies have revealed that EAS can increase the density of ICC and repair the nervous apparatus [ 6 , 17 ], so we choose to observe the alteration of ICC-IM based on the preliminary experiment. In the present study, we also showed that the density and ultrastructure of ICC-IM were elevated significantly in the EAS group, especially the HEA group, which may be responsible for its efficacy in regulating colonic motility.…”

“…Rangwala et al has showed that EAS is a safe and effective method for treatment of constipation without any adverse effect [ 5 ]. Recently, our study showed that EAS at acupoint ST-36 can increase the density of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) and upregulate the expression of colonic ICC [ 6 ]. However, the potential roles of EAS on colonic motility and ICC in diabetic constipation rats have scarcely been investigated.…”

Serological identification of Toxoplasma gondii in Goats and their Female Possessors in Kurram District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

“…Our immunohistochemical study also provided evidence that RC treatment can regulate the SCF/SCFR pathway and restore the expression of ICCs in the gastric antrum of rats. Additionally, data indicate that the expression of SCF, particularly M-SCF, induces prolonged activation and longer lifespan of SCFR (Xu et al, 2012;Miyazawa et al, 1995). Chen et al (2013) demonstrated a significant correlation between the expression of S-SCF and M-SCF and SCFR expression (Chen et al, 2013).…”

“…survival, proliferation, and differentiation (Torihashi et al, 1999;Tong et al, 2010). Previous studies have shown a significant decrease in SCF and SCFR expression in diabetic animals (Horváth et al, 2006;Lin et al, 2010;Xu et al, 2012). Fortunately, some studies have indicated that treatments can increase the expression of SCF and SCFR in rat models (Wang et al, 2008;Lu et al, 2013).…”