The protective effect of electroacupuncture on the renal cortex of SHRs: A metabonomic analysis

Hypertension affects multiple organs in the body during the development of the disease. The antihypertensive effect of acupuncture has been confirmed. How the protective effect of electroacupuncture on the renal cortex of the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) is achieved has not yet been determined. The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of electroacupuncture on the blood pressure of SHRs and the impact on metabolites in the renal cortex, looking for potential differential metabolites and then proceeding to the next step of exploratory research. The experimental animals were divided into four groups: control group, model group, electroacupuncture group and losartan potassium group. Electroacupuncture on bilateral Taichong (LR3) and Zusanli (ST36) lasted for 3 weeks, and the renal cortex was collected for metabonomics research. UHPLC-MS was used to analyze the changes in the metabolic spectrum of renal cortex tissue. The results showed that electroacupuncture can significantly reduce the blood pressure of SHRs. A total of 12 metabolites changed significantly in the comparison between each group and the model group.The possible mechanism is that the primary bile acid biosynthesis, bile secretion, tryptophan metabolism and other metabolic pathways affect the renal cortex.