Electroacupuncture intervention can improve the physical power of the aged rats with low testosterone.
[Electroacupuncture Intervention Improves Physical Power of Aged Rats with Low Testosterone by Reducing Chronic Inflammatory Response of Leydig Cells].
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on chronic inflammatory response of Leydig cells in aged rats with low testosterone, so as to investigate its underlying mechanism of anti-male reproductive aging. METHODS: Twenty-four 20 months old SD rats were randomly divided into EA, medication and aged control groups (＝ 8 in each), and other 8 young SD rats (2 months of age) were used as the youth control group. EA (2 Hz/100 Hz, 1 mA) was applied to"Guanyuan"(CV 4) and bilate-ral"Shenshu"(BL 23) for 15 min, once daily for 8 weeks except the weekends. The medication group received abdominal subcutaneous injection of testosterone propionate (7 mg• kg• 3 d) for 8 weeks. The aged control group and the youth control group received subcutaneous injection of 0.9% normal saline, with the same dose and same treatment frequency as those of the medication group. The rats' physical power was assessed according to the exhausted swimming duration, and the levels of serum total testosterone (TT) and free testosterone(FT) were determined by ELISA. The pathological changes of the testis tissue were detected by using H．E.staining, and the immunoactivity of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in Leydig cells was detected by immunohisto-chemistry. The expression levels of nuclear factor-κB p 65 (NF-κB p 65), COX-2, interleukin-1 β (IL-1 β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) proteins in the testis tissues were determined by Western blot. RESULTS: Before and after treatment, the exhaustive swimming duration and the levels of serum TT and FT in the aged control group were significantly lower than those of the youth control group (P
Affiliation
Tai-Wan Yao
External References
- PubMed ID:
- 29560631
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