An important role of corticotropin-releasing hormone in electroacupuncture normalizing the subnormal function of hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary axis in ovariectomized rats. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • In the present study, the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at a group of specific acupoints on corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) immunoreactivity (ir) in the hypothalamuses of ovariectomized rats were observed. Meanwhile the blood E2 level was detected. The results showed that EA might significantly increase the blood level of E2 and GnRH cell number in the ovariectomized rats. The number of CRH neurons was higher in the group ovariectomized with EA than that in the ovariectomized and intact groups. Interestingly enough, only in the group ovariectomized with EA was observed the co-localization of CRH-ir and GnRH-ir substances in one cell of hypothalamic nucleus paraventricularis by immunofluorescent double-labeling histochemistry combining laser con-focal scanning microscope. The results suggest that CRH might be an important factor in EA normalizing the subnormal function of hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary axis.

publication date

  • September 25, 2003

Research

keywords

  • Electroacupuncture
  • Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System
  • Ovary
  • Pituitary-Adrenal System

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0142011578

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/s0304-3940(03)00676-1

PubMed ID

  • 12946578

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 349

issue

  • 1