Introduction

Acupoint Iontophoresis is an organic combination of Chinese traditional medicine and modern physical method that used upon acupoints ^[1]. According to previous research, pure electric stimulation on acupoint in endurance training can increase the movable platform fatigue time and exhausting time of rats ^[2-4]. In order to observe the effect of acupoint iontophoresis on endurance training rats, we designed this experiment. We examined myocardial PKC expression (Protein kinase C, which is protective towards cardiac muscle) as an evaluation window, at the protein and mRNA levels, so as to find out if there is any possible molecular mechanism to explain rats’ longer exhausting time during experiment.

Method

36 SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups. They were control group (4); endurance training group (ET,8); endurance training and dosing group (ED,8); endurance training and acupoint iontophoresis group (EAI,8); endurance training, dosing and acupoint iontophoresis group (EDAI,8). Each group (except the control group) received training on animal platform 6 days a week, with an increasing load during the whole 8 weeks. Tissue from the left ventricle was taken at the end of the process, then observed PKC protein and mRNA expression via immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR respectively. SAS 6.12 was used to analyse data; ANOVA was used for statistical analysis and a p value< 0.05 was accepted as the level of significance.

Result

PKC can be seen on the cell membrane and in the cell nucleus after endurance training, while it mainly exists in plasma in the control group. Both PKC protein and mRNA expression are higher in ET group, ED group or EAI group than in the control group (P<0.05), especially in EDAI group (P<0.01).

Conclusion

1 Endurance training can activate PKC to transfer, increase its protein and mRNA expression, but the effects are not so strong as dosing and acupoint iontophoresis; when dosing cooperate with acupiont iontophoresis, stimulative function seems better than one method used alone.

2 Since heart function is the main restricted factor in endurance event, activating PKC may be one of the main mechanisms that acupoint iontophoresis protects the cardiac muscle and prevents sports fatigue.

 

References

[1]. Qian Zhenliang (2001). Chinese Acupuncture Appliance.Nanjing, Jiangsu Science&Technology Publishing House.

[2]. Gu Xunjie (1998). J of Clinical Acupuncture, 14(12): 9-10

[3]. Luo Lei et al. (2001). Chinese Acupuncture, 21(6): 366-368.

[4]. Yang Yi&Li Zhanghua (2002). Chinese Journal of Sports Medicine, 21(5): 499-501.