ArticlePloS one2022
Effects of electroacupuncture on the expression of hypothalamic neuropeptide Y and ghrelin in pubertal rats with polycystic ovary syndrome.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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8 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Electroacupuncture Alleviates Pulmonary and Intestinal Injury in Septic Mice via Inhibiting NLRP3 Inflammasome and Remodeling Gut Microbiota.Current medical science · 2026Article
- Acupuncture in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Narrative Review of Neuroendocrine-Immune Evidence, Reproductive Outcomes, and Evidence Gaps.International journal of women's health · 2026Review
- Acupuncture for premature ovarian insufficiency: a systemic neuroendocrine perspective.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- The Hypothalamic Nuclei Implicated in the Regulation of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Review of Its Clinical, Metabolic, and Endocrine Aspects.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Serum levels of galanin-like peptide and alarin are highly correlated with polycystic ovary syndrome.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Interstitial fluid transport in linea alba is involved in acupuncture-induced attenuation of ovarian hypofunction in aged rats.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Article
- Predictive value of serum sortilin, HMGB1, and galanin-like peptide for gestational diabetes mellitus in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Article
- Experimental analysis of acupuncture's effects on hyperandrogenemia and related symptoms in PCOS patients.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Review
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPolycystic ovary syndrome often starts in puberty, and its pathogenesis is not clear. This study aimed to explore the pathogenesis of pubertal polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and assess the therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture on pubertal PCOS.
methodsDihydrotestosterone (DHT) was used to induce rat models of pubertal PCOS. pubertal rats with PCOS were randomly divided into a model group (M), an electroacupuncture group (EA), and a sham acupuncture group (SA). Age-matched normal rats were regarded as normal controls (N). Rats were treated with EA or SA five times a week for 25 minutes during their 6th-7th week. At the end of the experiment, we observed any changes in ovarian morphology; detected levels of metabolic indices in serum, the hypothalamus and pancreas.
resultsEA significantly improved estrous cycle disorders and the ovarian polycystic morphology in pubertal rats with PCOS, but SA only improved disorders of the estrous cycle. The serum levels of insulin, neuropeptide Y(NPY) and fasting blood glucose(FBG) increased significantly (both p < 0.01), while the serum levels of ghrelin(GHRL) decreased in the model group (p < 0.01). After treatment with EA, the levels of NPY (p < 0.01) and FBG (p < 0.05) went into decrease, whereas the levels of GHRL (p < 0.05) and insulin (p < 0.01) increased. There was few differences in the hypothalamic expression of galanin (GAL), galanin-like peptide (GALP) and ghrelin receptor(GHSR) between the four groups. The upregulation of NPY mRNA and neuropeptide Y2 receptor(NPY2R) mRNA and the downregulation of GHRL protein and mRNA in the hypothalamus, and the increased expression of NPY and NPY2R as well as the decreased expression of GHRL in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) can be rescued by EA. But, surprisingly, SA seem to make no difference to the levels of FBG and insulin, and the protein expression of ghrelin in the hypothalamus and ARC. Co-expression of kisspeptin and GHSR, and co-expression of gonadotrophin releasing hormone(GnRH) and NPY2R were observed in ARC. No differences were found between groups in protein of GAL, GALP and GHRL expression in the pancreas. Neither EA nor SA can attenuate the upregulated kisspeptin protein expression in the pancreas of PCOS model rats.
conclusionsEA and SA improved the symptoms of pubertal PCOS rats, and the mechanism might be associated with regulating hypothalamic NPY and ghrelin levels.
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