Enhanced expression of epidermal growth factor receptor gene in gastric mucosal cells by the serum derived from rats treated with electroacupuncture at stomach meridian acupoints.

Aim: To investigate the effect of serum derived from rats treated with electroacupuncture at stomach meridian acupoints on the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in gastric mucosal cells.

Methods: The stress-induced gastric mucosal injury in rat model was established by water-immersion and restrained stress methods. 52 rats were randomly divided into: normal group (n = 8), model group (n = 8), model serum group (n = 12), stomach serum group (n = 12), and gallbladder serum group (n = 12). The gastric mucosal cells were separated by pronase-EDTA digestion method and incubated with serum. The EGFR gene expression in gastric mucosal cells was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method.

Results: Compared with normal group (0.6860 +/- 0.0594), the serum derived from rats of the stomach group (1.2272 +/- 0.0813, P = 0.00 < 0.01) and gallbladder group (0.9640 +/- 0.0387, P = 0.00 < 0.01) had a tendency to enhance the EGFR gene expression in gastric mucosal cells. Such tendency existed in the model group (0.7104 +/- 0.0457) but with no significant difference (P = 0.495 > 0.05) and in model serum group (0.8516 +/- 0.0409) with an extremely obvious difference (P = 0.001 < 0.01). Furthermore, the EGFR gene expression in stomach serum group was significantly higher than that in gallbladder serum group (P = 0.00 < 0.01).

Conclusion: The present study shows that serum derived from rats treated with electroacupuncture at stomach meridian acupoints can distinctly increase the EGFR gene expression of gastric mucosal cells. Therefore, there is certain meridian specificity in the serum, which could provide a proof for the TCM theory "particular relation between meridian and internal organ".