Biomedical subjects

Hi-Joon Park

Publications and source records attributed to Hi-Joon Park.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2002

Acupuncture enhances cell proliferation in dentate gyrus of maternally-separated rats.

Maternal separation in early life can increase vulnerability to neuropsychiatric disorders over the lifespan. To investigate the effect of acupuncture on cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus (DG), 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU)-immunohistochemistry was performed in maternally-separated rat pups. Maternal separation, for 7 days from postnatal day 14, induced a significant decrease of BrdU-immunoreactive cells in DG, while acupuncture treatment at acupoint Shenmen (HT7), at the end of the transverse crease of the ulnar wrist, resulted in the significant increase in the number of BrdU-positive cells in DG. However, acupuncture at acupoint ST36, near the knee joint, produced no increase in the number of BrdU-positive cells. These findings indicate that acupuncture at acupoint HT7 appears to stimulate cell proliferation, and we suggested that acupuncture may be useful in the treatment of diseases related to maternal separation.

Acupuncture↗

PubMed2002

Decrease of the electroacupuncture-induced analgesic effects in nuclear factor-kappa B1 knockout mice.

To investigate the involvement of nuclear factor kappa B1 (NF-kappaB1; p50/p105) in electroacupuncture (EA)-induced analgesia, 2 and 100 Hz EA stimulations were applied at acupoint ST36 (Zusanli) in NF-kappaB1 knockout mice. EA was performed for 30 min and tail-flick latencies (TFLs) were evaluated every 15 min for 1 h. Wild-type mice displayed a 63.3% increase in TFLs compared to baseline after 2 Hz EA, whereas NF-kappaB1+/- mice exhibited a 41.8% increase and NF-kappaB1-/- mice showed only a 3.9% increase of TFLs. The TFLs of 100 Hz EA showed similar trends: a 72.6% increase of TFLs in wild-type, a 38.6% increase in NF-kappaB1+/- and a 9.3% increase in NF-kappaB1-/- mice. The present findings suggest that NF-kappaB1 may play a crucial role in both low and high frequency EA-induced analgesic effects.

Analgesia↗

PubMed2002

Antipyretic effects of acupuncture on the lipopolysaccharide-induced fever and expression of interleukin-6 and interleukin-1 beta mRNAs in the hypothalamus of rats.

We observed the changes of body temperature and the cytokine expressions in the hypothalamus of rats to investigate the effect and mechanism of antipyretic action of acupuncture. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS, i.p., 2.5 mg/kg) was injected into rats and manual acupuncture was performed on Shaofu (HT8), Zutonggu (BL66) or Xingjian (LR2), respectively. The results showed that fever induced by LPS-injection was recovered significantly by acupuncture on each acupoint. LPS increased hypothalamic mRNA levels of interleukin-6 and interleukin-1 beta which, on the contrary, were also reduced to normal levels by acupuncture stimulation on BL66. These results suggest that the acupuncture stimulation may be effective for reducing elevated body temperature induced by bacterial inflammation, and part of its action may be mediated through the suppression of hypothalamic production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Acupuncture Therapy↗

PubMed2002

Effect of electroacupuncture on the stress-induced changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in rat hippocampus.

Stress induces neuronal atrophy and death especially in the hippocampus. Alterations in the expression of neurotrophic factors are implicated in stress-induced hippocampal degeneration. In the hippocampus, stress decreases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA levels. In oriental medicine, acupuncture has long been employed as a treatment of numerous disorders. The objective of this study was to examine whether electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation can influence BDNF expression in the hippocampus of rats exposed to immobilization stress. Rats were immobilized in plastic bags, and then subjected to EA at ST36 Zusanli. After treatment, the animals were decapitated and the hippocampi were rapidly removed and processed for RNA isolation and reverse transcription. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that EA stimulation significantly restored BDNF mRNA expression declined by immobilization stress. The results suggest that EA may relieve neuropathological effects of stress by modulating neurotrophic factor expression.

Animals↗