电针耳穴对断奶前母本隔离模型小鼠催产素受体表达及情绪的影响

Effect of Electric Auricular Acupuncture on the Expression of Oxytocin Receptor and Emotion in Pre-weaning Maternal Separation Mice

目的:观察电针耳穴对断奶前母本隔离模型小鼠催产素受体(OTR)表达及情绪的影响,探讨电针耳穴治疗儿童抑郁症的机制及临床价值。方法:采用随机数字表法将30只健康新生C57BL/6小鼠依次分为对照组、模型组、针刺组各10只,模型组及针刺组采取断奶前母本隔离法造模。先采用旷场实验及高架十字迷宫实验对各组小鼠进行行为学检测,再采用蛋白免疫印迹(Western blot)检测OTR蛋白的脑内表达;取成年C57BL/6小鼠,采用神经示踪技术检测耳穴迷走神经与下丘脑室旁核(PVN)的联系。结果:针刺组旷场中央时间百分比及总移动距离显著高于模型组(P<0.05);对照组和针刺组中央时间百分比及总移动距离差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05)。针刺组开臂总花费时间、开臂总移动距离及进入开臂次数均显著高于模型组(P<0.05);对照组和针刺组开臂总花费时间、开臂总移动距离及进入开臂次数差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05)。针刺组前额叶皮层(PFC)中OTR的表达显著高于模型组(P<0.05);对照组和针刺组PFC中OTR的表达差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。神经示踪实验结果表明,耳缘迷走神经能与脑内PVN神经元建立了联系。结论:断奶前母本隔离显著增加小鼠的焦虑样行为,降低小鼠PFC脑区OTR的表达,而电针耳穴干预显著缓解了因早期生活压力所致情绪异常,同时逆转PFC脑区OTR表达的下降。本研究为电针耳穴治疗儿童抑郁症提供了理论及实验依据。

Objective:To observe the effect of electric auricular acupuncture on the expression of oxytocin receptor(OTR)and emotion in pre-weaning maternal separation(PMS)mice,and to determine the mechanism and clinical value of electric auricular acupuncture in treating childhood depression.Methods:Total 30 newborn C57BL/6 pups were equally and randomly divided into the control group,model group,and acupuncture group.The model group and acupuncture group were separated from the mother before weaning for molding.The open field experiment and the elevated plus maze experiment were conducted.Western blot was used to detect the expression of OTR protein in the brain.Adult C57BL/6 mice were selected and use the neural tracing technique was used to detect the connection of ear vagus to the paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus(PVN).Results:The percentage of open field central time and the total moving distance in acupuncture group were significantly higher than those in the model group(P<0.05).There were no significant differences between the control group and the acupuncture group in the percentage of central time and the total moving distance.The total time spent in arm opening,total movement distance of arm opening and the number of times of arm opening in the acupuncture group were significantly higher than those in the model group(P<0.05).There was no significant difference between the control group and the acupuncture group in the total time spent in arm opening,the total movement distance of arm opening and the number of times of arm opening(P>0.05).The expression of OTR in the prefrontal cortex(PFC)of the acupuncture group was significantly higher than that of the model group(P<0.05).The difference in the expression of OTR in the PFC between the control group and the acupuncture group was not statistically significant(P>0.05).The results of nerve tracing experiments showed that the vagus nerve of the ear margin could establish contact with the PVN neurons in the brain.Conclusions:Pre-weaning maternal separation significantly increases the anxiety-like behavior of mice and reduces the expression of OTR in the PFC brain area of mice.Electric auricular acupuncture intervention significantly relieves the emotional abnormalities caused by early life stress and reverses the declined expression of OTR in the PFC brain area.This study provides the theoretical and experimental basis for electric auricular acupuncture to treat children with depression.