Mild moxibustion decreases the expression of prokineticin 2 and prokineticin receptor 2 in the colon and spinal cord of rats with irritable bowel syndrome

Cili Zhou; Jimeng Zhao; Luyi Wu; Renjia Huang; Yin Shi; Xiaomei Wang; Wen Liao; Jue Hong; Shimin Liu; Huangan Wu

doi:10.1155/2014/807308

Mild moxibustion decreases the expression of prokineticin 2 and prokineticin receptor 2 in the colon and spinal cord of rats with irritable bowel syndrome

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014:2014:807308. doi: 10.1155/2014/807308. Epub 2014 Jun 12.

Authors

Cili Zhou¹, Jimeng Zhao¹, Luyi Wu¹, Renjia Huang², Yin Shi¹, Xiaomei Wang¹, Wen Liao³, Jue Hong¹, Shimin Liu¹, Huangan Wu¹

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Immunological Effects, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China.
² Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, China.
³ Center for Prescription and Syndrome of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Systems Biology, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.

Abstract

It has been proven that prokineticin 2 (PK2) and its receptor PKR2 play an important role in hyperalgesia, while mild moxibustion can relieve visceral hypersensitivity in a rat model of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The goal of the present study was to determine the effects of mild moxibustion on the expression of PK2 and PKR2 in colon and spinal cord in IBS rat model, which was induced by colorectal distension using inflatable balloons. After mild moxibustion treatment, abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) scores were assessed by colorectal distension; protein and mRNA expression of PK2 and PKR2 in rat colon and spinal cord was determined by immunohistochemistry and fluorescence quantitative PCR. Compared with normal rats, the AWR scores of rats and the expressions of PK2/PKR2 proteins and mRNAs in colon and spinal cord tissue were significantly increased in the model group; compared with the model group, the AWR scores of rats and the expressions of PK2/PKR2 proteins and mRNAs in colon and spinal cord tissue were significantly decreased in the mild moxibustion group. These findings suggest that the analgesia effect of mild moxibustion may be associated with the reduction of the abnormally increased expression of the PK2/PKR2 proteins and mRNAs in the colon and spinal cord.