Background

The development of hypertension affects several target organs, the kidneys being one of them. Acupuncture has been used to treat hypertension for a long time. Several mechanisms of acupuncture on hypotensive effect have been reveled, while the effects of acupuncture on the alterations in renal cortex from a metabolomic perspective are still unclear.

Methods

Twelve male Wistar rats served as the control group (Wistar Group). Twenty-four male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were randomly divided into two groups: the model group (SHR Group) and the acupuncture group (AC Group). In the AC Group, milli-needle acupuncture was used to puncture the bilateral Taichong (LR3) and Zusanli (ST36) points. Blood pressure values were measured weekly and the rats were euthanized after three weeks. Renal cortical tissues were collected for non-targeted and targeted metabolomic analyses.

Results

Acupuncture reduced blood pressure values in rats (Compared with the SHR Group, P < 0.001). Thirteen metabolites with significant differences and three metabolic pathways were screened by untargeted metabolomics. The SHR Group was compared with the Wistar Group and AC Group both involving metabolites and pathways related to bile acid metabolism. Furthermore, targeted metabolomics quantification of four bile acids, Cholic acid (CA), Allocholic acid (ACA), Deoxycholic acid (DCA) and Chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), revealed that all bile acid concentrations were relatively high in the SHR Group, except for ACA.

Conclusion

This study indicate that abnormal bile acid metabolism may be an independent risk factor the development of hypertension. Acupuncture at Taichong and at Zusanli points effectively modulated bile acids metabolism in SHR renal cortex tissues to exert a hypotensive effect, and CA may be able to be a new target for the treatment of hypertension.

中文翻译：

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代谢组学分析针刺太冲足三里穴对自发性高血压大鼠的降压作用

背景

高血压的发展会影响多个靶器官，肾脏就是其中之一。针灸长期以来一直被用来治疗高血压。针灸降血压的多种机制已被揭示，但从代谢组学角度来看针灸对肾皮质变化的影响仍不清楚。

方法

12只雄性Wistar大鼠作为对照组（Wistar组）。24只雄性自发性高血压大鼠（SHR）随机分为两组：模型组（SHR组）和针刺组（AC组）。AC组采用毫针针刺双侧太冲穴(LR3)和足三里穴(ST36)。每周测量血压值，三周后对大鼠实施安乐死。收集肾皮质组织用于非靶向和靶向代谢组学分析。

结果

针刺降低大鼠血压值（与SHR组相比，P<0.001）。通过非靶向代谢组学筛选出13种具有显着差异的代谢物和3条代谢途径。SHR组与Wistar组和AC组进行了比较，均涉及与胆汁酸代谢相关的代谢物和途径。此外，对胆酸（CA）、别胆酸（ACA）、脱氧胆酸（DCA）和鹅去氧胆酸（CDCA）四种胆汁酸的靶向代谢组学定量显示，SHR组中所有胆汁酸浓度都相对较高，除了ACA。

结论

本研究表明胆汁酸代谢异常可能是高血压发生的独立危险因素。针刺太冲穴和足三里穴可有效调节SHR肾皮质组织胆汁酸代谢而发挥降压作用，CA可能成为治疗高血压的新靶点。