PREPROENKEPHALIN MESSENGER-RNA ENHANCED BY COMBINATION OF DROPERIDOL WITH ELECTROACUPUNCTURE

AIM: To study the expression of preproenkephalin (PPE) mRNA following electroacupuncture (EA) combined with droperidol (Dro), an antagonist of dopamine receptors. METHOD: The brains of Sprague-Dawley rats were sectioned after combination of EA with Dro and nonradioactive in situ hybridization histochemistry (ISHH) technic was used. RESULTS: Ten hou rs after EA, the expression of PPE mRNA was enhanced; when EA was comb ined with Dro, the expression of PPE mRNA was further enhanced in many pain-modulation-related nuclei, such as caudate-putamen, accumbens, s eptal nucleus, diagonal band nucleus, amygdala, hypothalamus, periaque ductal gray (FAG), interpeduncular nucleus, substantia nigra, and the dorsal horn of spinal cord (layer I-II and III-IV). CONCLUSION: Dro pr omoted EA's action on the PPE mRNA expression, which underlie the mech anisms of Dro potentiation on acupuncture analgesia.