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. 2016 Jan;28(1):36-42.
doi: 10.1111/nmo.12693. Epub 2015 Oct 21.

Auricular vagal nerve stimulation ameliorates burn-induced gastric dysmotility via sympathetic-COX-2 pathways in rats

Affiliations

Auricular vagal nerve stimulation ameliorates burn-induced gastric dysmotility via sympathetic-COX-2 pathways in rats

H Li et al. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2016 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Severe burn injury has been demonstrated to delay gastric emptying. The aim of this study was to investigate effects and cellular mechanisms of auricular electroacupuncture (AEA) at the acupoints innervated by the auricular branch of vagus nerve on burn-induced gastric dysmotility in rats.

Methods: Propranolol (β-adrenoceptor antagonist) was injected intraperitoneally after the rats underwent burn injury. All experiments were performed 6 h following burn/sham burn injury. AEA was performed at bilateral auricular acupoints for 45 min. Electrocardiogram was recorded for 30 min. Plasma hormones were measured; cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expressions in gastric tissue were measured using western blotting and real-time RT-PCR.

Key results: (i) Burn injury delayed gastric emptying (p = 0.006) and AEA increased gastric emptying by 49% (p = 0.045). (ii) Burn injury evoked a significant elevation in plasma noradrenaline, which was suppressed by AEA. (iii) Burn injury significantly increased protein and mRNA expressions of COX-2 in gastric fundus and antrum. AEA suppressed burn-induced increase in protein expressions, but not mRNA expressions of COX-2.

Conclusions & inferences: Burn injury delays gastric emptying by up-regulating COX-2 attributed to sympathetic overactivity. AEA improves burn-induced delay in gastric emptying, possibly mediated via the sympathetic-COX-2 pathway.

Keywords: COX-2; auricular electroacupuncture; autonomic function; gastric emptying; vagal nerve stimulation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures: all the authors disclosed no conflicts.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effects of AEA on gastric emptying in burned rats. Burn injury decreased the percentage of gastric emptying; this was improved with AEA
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of AEA on protein expressions of COX-2 A: In fundus, AEA treatment significantly improved burn-induced increase in COX-2 protein expression, but such ameliorative effect was not showed with the treatment of sham-EA1. B: In antrum, AEA treatment prevented the burn-induced increase in COX-2 protein expression.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effects of AEA on plasma levels of NE and PP in burned rats. (A) Burn injury significantly increased the plasma NE, but this effect was suppressed with both AEA and propranolol. (B) Neither burn injury, nor AEA/propranolol showed any effect on plasma PP.

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