Efeitos modulatórios da acupuntura e da eletroacupuntura no estresse oxidativo e na inflamação agudos induzidos por depressão experimental no rim do rato

Abstract

Depression is a term used by health professionals to describe a spectrum of mood changes, varying in characteristics, intensity and duration. Exposure to chronic stress can trigger long-term or permanent changes in the physiological, behavioral and emotional responses that influence susceptibility and the evolution of disease. Studies have shown that prolonged exposure to psychological stressors may increase the risk of disease due to increased production of oxidizing substances and the resulting oxidative damage. Moderate chronic stress (MCS) is an experimental model of depression which aims to check the relationship between exposure of subjects, commonly rats, to a set of aversive and moderate chronic stimuli for a long and uninterrupted period of time. An increasing number of scientific studies have shown that the inflammatory cytokines play an important role in the genesis of inflammatory process present in patients suffering from depressive disorders. Whereas the oxidative stress, inflammation and depression are related, this study was designed to examine the effects of acupuncture (Ac) and electro acupuncture (EAc) on inflammation and oxidative stress produced by experimental depression in rat kidney. In order to evaluate the modulatory effects of Ac and EAc, 24 healthy rats, randomly divided into 4 groups (G1-G4) were submitted to the ECM for 42 days. The sucrose preference test (SPT) and the Forced Swim test (FST). were used for verification of the depressive state. G2-G4 rats were treated with Ac and EAc (2Hz and 100 Hz), respectively, for 12 days, on alternate days, for 20 minutes. In the 63th day of the experiment, the animals were sedated with chloral hydrate for the collection of the right kidney and 3 ml of arterial blood. Later the animals were sacrificed using a triple dose of the same drug. Levels of urea and creatinine, reduced glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were assayed. The use of the EAc promoted a significant increase (p< 0.0001) in serum urea concentrations on the last day of the study. Changes did not occur in rats treated with Ac. There was a significant increase in serum and tissue (kidney) concentrations of GSH in G2-G4 groups compared to control group (G1) on the last day of the study. No significant differences were observed in the serum and renal tissue in MDA concentrations when comparing groups G2-G4 with the control group G1. However, there was a significant decrease in the activity of myeloperoxidase in the kidney of the rats (G2-G4 versus G1 groups).It is concluded that the Ac and the EAc exert a protective effect on renal oxidative stress and reduce the inflammatory process in the kidney of rats exposed to moderate chronic unpredictable stress.