Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a brain illness that affects learning and memory capacities over time. In recent investigations, acupuncture has been shown to be an effective alternative treatment for AD. We investigated the effect of acupuncture on learning and memory abilities using a water maze in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. The amounts of Aβ and tau protein in mice’s hippocampal tissue were determined using Western blot. The levels of IL-1β, IL-10, LPS and TNF-α in mice’s serum were measured using ELISA. The variations of gut microbiota in mice’s feces were determined using the 16SrDNA technique, and the metabolites were examined using a untargeted metabolomics methodology. The results showed that acupuncture treatment improved mice’s learning and memory abilities substantially. Acupuncture therapy regulated the Aβ and tau protein concentration as well as the levels of IL-10 and LPS. Acupuncture treatment influenced the mouse microbiota and metabolites and had been linked to six biochemical pathways. This study adds to our understanding of the effect of acupuncture on AD and opens the door to further research into the alterations of intestinal bacteria in the presence of AD.
【Abstract】Objective: To study the moxibustion at Guanyuan (CV 4) and Tianshu (ST 25) on intestinal dysbacteriosis in rats. Methods: Fifty Wistar rats, clearing grade, were randomly divided into 5 groups, a normal group, a model group, a medical group, and a Guanyuan (CV 4) group and a Tianshu (ST 25) group, with 10 rats in each group. The rats were treated with Lincomycin Hydrochloride via intragastric administration for developing models. The model rats were treated with medicine and moxibustion respectively. 0.1 g fresh rat feces in each group were cultured on the selective culture medium of bifidobacterium species (BS), lactobacillus (LBS), enterobacteriaceae (EB) and enterococcus (EC). The growth and quantity of the bacterial colony were tested by biochemical identification tubes and turbidimetry. Results: Moxibustion at Guanyuan (CV 4) increased BS and LBS while moxibustion at Tianshu (ST 25) improved EB and EC. Conclusion: Moxibustion at Front-Mu points of different body parts selectively regulated advantaged probiotics for treating intestinal dysbacteriosis.
Background and Objective. As a recommended option for 43 diseases by the World Health Organization, electroacupuncture is also being used to treat some others in China. Diet-related intestinal flora imbalance can induce atherosclerosis. This study aims to evaluate how electroacupuncture copes with atherosclerosis through regulating intestinal flora. Methods. In this study, general rabbit conditions, vascular histology, metabolites, and intestinal flora structures were analyzed. Integrated analysis of metabolomics and 16S rRNA sequencing were performed. All the rabbits were randomly divided into four groups. The rabbit model of atherosclerosis was established. The histopathological change in the common carotid artery was assessed by HE staining and the structural change in the flora by 16S rRNA sequencing. HPLC-TOF-MS and Agilent MPP 12.1 were integrated to identify and screen out differential metabolites. Correlational analyses of every differential metabolite with intestinal flora were integrated on Omicshare platform. Results. Atherosclerotic rabbits showed obvious changes in general conditions, significant fibrous cap and necrotic center on carotid artery, abnormal intestinal bacteria structure, and metabolites levels. Electroacupuncture improved the conditions, reduced lipid deposition on the carotid artery wall, diversified intestinal flora, and normalized host metabolism. Integrated analysis showed that 149 altered metabolites were related to 22 intestinal flora, among which eight intestinal floras and 21 metabolites have relationships with atherosclerosis. Conclusion. Electroacupuncture can effectively reverse atherosclerosis through manipulating the structural feature of intestinal flora to influence the host metabolites. The possible mechanisms involved activating signal pathways through host metabolites or affecting the activity of cardiovascular-related enzymes, or regulating host lipid metabolism directly.
Recent evidence suggests that chloride (CL−) channels are involved in myocardial ischemia. In this study, the impact of acupuncture on the protein expressions of Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) and CLC-2 CL− channel of the rats with myocardial ischemia were tested and its mechanism was explored. The rats for experiment were distributed randomly into 5 groups: blank control group, modeling control group, Neiguan (PC-6) treatment group, Lieque (LU-7) control group, and Non-acupoint control group. The rats of all groups, except the blank control group, had myocardial ischemia via multiple subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol (ISO). Electroacupuncture treatment was given to Neiguan (PC-6) treatment group, Lieque (LU-7) control group, and Non-acupoints control group, respectively, once a day for 7 days. The results show that acupuncture can alleviate the myocardial ischemia of cardiac tissue, decrease significantly the activities of serum SOD and MDA, and thereby influence the protein expressions of CFTR and CLC-2 in CL− channels. The results of the study implies that acupuncture suppresses the pathological changes of cardiac tissue of rats with myocardial ischemia and regulates the protein expression of CFTR and CLC-2 CL− channels, which may serve as one possible mechanism to reduce myocardial ischemia.
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