Isolation of Genes Involved in the Preventive Effect of Electroacupuncture at Fenglong Acupoint (ST40) on Hypercholesterolemia Mice by Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (SSH) Combined with Negative Subtraction Chain (NSC) Technology

We have shown that electroacupuncture (EA) at Fenglong acupoint (ST40) has the cholesterol-lowering effect in hypercholesterolemia mice. The present study was designed to study preventive effect of EA at ST40 on hypercholesterolemia. C57BL/6j mice were randomly divided into normal group (NG), hypercholesterolemia group (HG) and EA prevention group (EPG). NG were fed chow, HG a hypercholesterolemic diet (HD), and EPG the same HD and received EA treatment simultaneously. Lipid profile of both the plasma and liver indicated that EA at ST40 had preventive effect on hypercholesterolemia. Compared with corresponding values in the HG mice, the levels of the hepatic total cholesterol and total triglyceride in the EPG mice lowered 45% and 23% respectively, and the levels of plasma total-, LDL-, and HDL-cholesteroI in the EPG mice lowered 39%, 37% and 39% respectively. Eleven genes whose expressions were up-regulated in EPG mice compared with HG were isolated using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) combined with negative subtraction chain (NSC) technology, and then confirmed by dot-blot assay. Except two genes whose functions were still unknown, the others were mainly involved in cholesterol metabolism, lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism and immune response. The potential molecular mechanism of preventive effect was discussed.