Abstract

The aim of this study was to observe the effect and mechanism of single point and compatibility acupoints on diabetic gastroparesis rats. The effect difference between single point and compatible points of diabetic gastroparesis rat’s model rats was evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin, immunohistochemistry and Western blot. The expression of Cajal, neuronal nitric oxide synthase, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and heme oxygenase-1 proteins in gastric tissue and the expression of hypothalamic mesencephalic intestinal peptides neuronal nitric oxide synthase, ghrelin and somatostatin proteins were observed. Compared with the model group, the mediastinal and circumferential muscle cells of the gastric smooth muscle of CV12 and ST36 were relatively compact. The grooves of stomach were slightly changed, and the main cells, adenium cells and cervical mucous cells were arranged more neatly than those in model group. Macrophages decreased in gastric submucosa and mucosal muscle layer. The arrangement of muscle cells in the mediastinal muscle layer and the circumferential muscle layer of CV12+ST36 gastric smooth muscle was relatively dense, which was more obvious than that in single point CV12 and ST36. After acupuncture treatment, the expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase in gastric and hypothalamic were all increased compared with model group. In the expression of interstitial cells of Cajal, CV12+ST36 was better than CV12 than ST36. And compared with model group, the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and heme oxygenase-1 was increased, and CV12+ST36 group was higher than that of single point CV12 and ST36 (p<0.01). In terms of central regulation, the expression of somatostatin protein in hypothalamus was observed in the single point group CV12 (2955.43±206.24, p<0.01), the combined point group CV12+ST36 (2066.88±116.81, p<0.01) was increased compared with model group. The expression of ghrelin in hypothalamus decreased in CV12 (76.00±6.16, p<0.01), but increased in ST36 (288.00±31.12, p<0.01). And CV12+ST36 (234.00±19.95, p<0.05) was increased after acupuncture treatment. The compatibility of acupoints is an important part of acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture improved gastric smooth muscle, the number and structure of interstitial cells of Cajal, and mucosal protection, and the compatibility acupoints was better than the single point, which may be increased the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and heme oxygenase-1 expression to protect diabetic gastroparesis rat’s from oxidative stress.