Exploring the Mechanisms of Acupuncture-Induced Lowering of Blood Pressure Through Positron Emission Tomography and RNA Sequencing of the PVH

Abstract

Manual acupuncture (MA) can be used to manage high blood pressure, however, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown. To explore the mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of hypertension, we used Wistar Kyoto rats (WKYs) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) that were subject to either MA stimulation or the corresponding sham procedure as a negative control (sham-MA) for 1 week. Blood pressure was recorded regularly. After 7 days of treatment, PET-CT scans were used to detect brain areas where glucose metabolism was significantly regulated. Additionally, the differentially expressed genes(DEGs) of a specific brain region—the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVH)—were evaluated by transcriptomics, and verified with quantitative PCR (qPCR). Eight overlapping DEGs were found between the WKY, SHR, and MA groups. The DEGs were then annotated with the Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases. qPCR was used to verify the DEGs. These genes may lower blood pressure by regulating angiotensin, endothelial function and inflammation, ect. This study reveals MA regulates multiple biological processes and genes of the PVH, and provides a solid theoretical basis for exploring the mechanisms by which MA manages hypertension.