Difference of Liver and Kidney Metabolic Profiling in Chronic Atrophic Gastritis Rats between Acupuncture and Moxibustion Treatment

Abstract

Acupuncture and moxibustion proved to be very effective in chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG). According to the Chinese traditional medicine theory, chronic diseases have an influence on the function of liver and kidney. However, there is little research to demonstrate this theory. This study is aimed at assessing the ¹H NMR-based metabolic profiling in liver and kidney of CAG rats and comparing the difference between electroacupuncture and moxibustion treatment. Male SD rats were subjected to CAG modeling by intragastric administration of mixture of 2% sodium salicylate and 30% alcohol coupled with compulsive sporting and irregular fasting for 12 weeks and then treated by electroacupuncture or moxibustion at Liangmen (ST 21) and Zusanli (ST 36) acupoints for 2 weeks. A ¹H NMR analysis of liver and kidney samples along with histopathological examination and molecular biological assay was employed to assess and compare the therapeutic effects of electroacupuncture and moxibustion. CAG brought characterization of metabolomic signatures in liver and kidney of rats. Both electroacupuncture and moxibustion treatment were found to normalize the CAG-induced changes by restoring energy metabolism, neurotransmitter metabolism, antioxidation metabolism, and other metabolism, while the moxibustion treatment reversed more metabolites related to energy metabolism in liver than electroacupuncture treatment. CAG did have influence on liver and kidney of rats. Both of these treatments had good effects on CAG by reversing the CAG-induced perturbation in liver and kidney. For regulating the energy metabolism in liver, the moxibustion played more important role than electroacupuncture treatment.

Figure 1

Histological examination of gastric mucosa from six groups. (A and a, the controls; B and b, the CAG group; C and c, EA group; D and d, EN group; E and e, MA group; F and f, MN group.) Scale bars represent 2 μm for the top row and 0.5 μm for the bottom row.

Figure 2

The expression of substance P and ghrelin in serum of rats in six groups. (▲ means a statistical significance p<0.05 when compared with the control group; △ means a statistical significance p<0.05 when compared with the CAG group.).

Figure 3

Typical 1H NMR spectra of extractive from liver and kidney (1, Isoleucine; 2, Leucine; 3, Valine; 4, Ornithine; 5, 3-Hydroxybutyrate; 6, Ethyl carbamate; 7, Lactate; 8, Alanine; 9, Lysine; 10, Acetate; 11, Glutamate; 12, Glutamine; 13, Methionine; 14, Glutathione; 15, Succinate; 16, Citrate; 17, Aspartate; 18, Dimethylamine; 19, Asparagine; 20, N-methylhydantoin; 21, Creatine; 22, Creatinine; 23, Ethanolamine; 24, Choline; 25, Phosphocholine; 26, Taurine; 27, Glycerophosphocholine; 28, Trimethylamine-N-oxide; 29, Taurine; 30, Betaine; 31, Inositol; 32, Scyllo-Inositol; 33, Glycine; 34, Glycerol; 35, Adenosine; 36, β-glucose; 37, α-glucose; 38, Glycogen; 39, Allantoin; 40, Uridine; 41, Inosine; 42, Uracil; 43, Uridine; 44, Cytidine; 45, Fumarate; 46, Tyrosine; 47, Histidine; 48, Tryptophan; 49, Phenylalanine; 50, Nicotinamide; 51, Xanthine; 52, Hypoxanthine; 53, Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN); 54, Formate; 55, Glucaric acid.).

Figure 4

OPLS-DA scores plots and corresponding S-plots from the CAG and EA group in liver ((A) and (a), R2X (cum) =0.723, R2Y (cum) =0.933, Q2 (cum) =0.788) and in kidney ((C) and (c), R2X (cum) =0.395, R2Y (cum) =0.99, Q2 (cum) =0.908); OPLS-DA scores plots and corresponding S-plots from the CAG and MA group in liver ((B) and (b), R2X (cum) =0.874, R2Y (cum) =0.988, Q2 (cum) =0.858) and kidney ((D) and (d), R2X (cum) =0.48, R2Y (cum) =0.998, Q2 (cum) =0.934).

Figure 5

The metabolic pathways associated with electroacupuncture and moxibustion treatment on CAG rats. Metabolites in blue, red, and green represent metabolites regulated by electroacupuncture, moxibustion, and both of them, respectively. ▲ shows metabolites in liver; ● shows metabolites in kidney. (1, Phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis; 2, Phenylalanine metabolism; 3, Glutathione metabolism; 4, Glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism; 5, Glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism; 6, Glycerolipid metabolism; 7, Nicotinate and Nicotinamide metabolism; 8, Alanine, aspartate, and Glutamate metabolism; 9, Glycerophospholipid metabolism; 10, Citrate cycle (TCA cycle); 11, Galactose metabolism; 12, D-Glutamine and D-Glutamate metabolism; 13, Lysine metabolism; 14, Aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis; 15, Purine metabolism.)