电针夹脊穴对非酒精性脂肪肝模型大鼠肝NF-κB表达及肝功能的影响

Influence of electroacupuncture at Jiaji acupoints on liver NF-κB expression and liver function in nonalcoholic fatty liver rats

目的:探讨核转录因子-κB(nuclear factor-kappa B,NF-κB)在非酒精性脂肪性肝病(nonalcoholic fatty liver disease,NAFLD)发病机制中的作用并观察电针夹脊穴的疗效及作用途径.方法:♂Wistar实验大鼠随机分为正常组(11只)和造模组(32只),造模组饲以高脂饮食(喂养饲料由20 g/L胆固醇、100 g/L猪油和880 g/L普通饲料混合组成)构建NAFLD大鼠模型,8 wk后随机处死正常组1只和造模组2只,病理组织学检查以验证造模成功.然后将余下的造模组随机分为NAFLD模型组(15只),电针组(15只).电针组选取双侧胸9-12夹脊穴,针刺后加通电针治疗仪(强度1-2 mA,频率1.6-2.0 Hz的疏密波),1次/d,每次30 min,连续治疗4 wk后处死所有动物,观察肝组织病理学变化情况;检测血清天冬氨酸氨基转移酶(aspartate aminotransferase,AST)、谷丙氨酸氨基转移酶(alanine aminotransferase,ALT)含量;免疫组织化学法检测肝组织中NF-κB的表达.结果:与正常组比较,模型组大鼠出现中度至重度的肝细胞脂肪变性,肝NF-κB表达上调,血清ALT及AST升高(P<0.05);与模型组比较,电针组肝组织脂肪性变得到不同程度的减轻;肝NF-κB表达下调;血清ALT及AST降低(P<0.05).结论:电针夹脊穴干预可抑制非酒精性脂肪肝NF-κB表达的上调,改善其肝功能,该作用可能是其治疗NAFLD的作用机制之一.

AIM： To investigate the role of nuclear factor-kappa B（NF-κB） in the pathogenesis of nonalco-holic fatty liver disease（NAFLD） and to observethe effect of electroacupuncture（EA） at the Jiajiacupoints on liver NF-κB expression and liverfunction in NAFLD rats.METHODS： Wistar rats were randomly dividedinto either a normal group（11 rats） or a modelgroup（32 rats）.Rats were fed a high fat diet（composed of 20 g/L cholesterol,100 g/L lard and 880 g/L normal feed） to induce NAFLD.After 8 wk,one rat in each of the two groups was randomly selected and killed to verify the success of modelling.The rest rats were ran-domly divided into two groups： an NAFLD model group（n = 15） and an EA group（n = 15）.The EA group underwent acupuncture at the bilateral Jiaji acupoints（strength 1-2 mA,frequency 1.6-2.0 Hz density wave,30 min each time） once daily.All the animals were killed after 4 wk of treatment to observe pathological changes of the liver,measure serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase（AST） and glutamic alanine aminotransferase（ALT）,and detect the expression of NF-κB in the liver tissue by im-munohistochemistry.RESULTS： Compared with the normal group,rats in the model group showed moderate to se-vere fatty degeneration of liver cells,up-regulated expression of hepatic NF-κB,and increased serum ALT and AST levels（P〈0.05）.Compared with the model group,the EA group showed reduced liver tissue changes,down-regulated liver NF-κB expression,and decreased serum ALT and AST levels（P〈0.05）.CONCLUSION： EA at the Jiaji acupoints exerts a therapeutic effect against NAFLD possibly by inhibiting the up-regulation of NF-κB ex-pression and improving the liver function in NAFLD rats.