Applications of Acupuncture Therapy in Modulating the Plasticity of Neurodegenerative Disease and Depression: Do MicroRNA and Neurotrophin BDNF Shed Light on the Underlying Mechanism?

Abstract

As the global population ages, the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases has risen. Furthermore, it has been suggested that depression, especially in elderly people, may also be an indication of latent neurodegeneration. Stroke, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are usually accompanied by depression. The urgent challenge is further enforced by psychiatric comorbid conditions, particularly the feeling of despair in these patients. Fortunately, as our understanding of the neurobiological substrates of maladies affecting the central nervous system (CNS) has increased, more therapeutic options and novel potential biological mechanisms have been presented: (1) Neurodegenerative diseases share some similarities in their pathological characteristics, including changes in neuron structure or function and neuronal plasticity. (2) MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that contribute to the pathogenesis of diverse neurological disease. (3) One ubiquitous neurotrophin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), is crucial for the development of the nervous system. Accumulating data have indicated that miRNAs not only are related to BDNF regulation but also can directly bind with the 3′-UTR of BDNF to regulate BDNF and participate in neuroplasticity. In this short review, we present evidence of shared biological substrates among stroke, AD, PD, and depression and summarize the possible influencing mechanisms of acupuncture on the neuroplasticity of these diseases. We discuss neuroplasticity underscored by the roles of miRNAs and BDNF, which might further reveal the potential biological mechanism of neurodegenerative diseases and depression by acupuncture.

Electroacupuncture Prevents the Depression-Like Behavior by Inhibiting the NF-κB/NLRP3 Inflammatory Pathway in Hippocampus of Mice Subjected to Chronic Mild Stress

“…The precise physiological mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of depression are still unknown. Previous studies have shown that acupuncture can modulate neurogenesis and synaptogenesis [36], regulate neuroendocrine function [7], attenuate neuroinflammation and neuronal apoptosis [37, 38], and regulate the expression of neurotrophic factors and their receptors [39, 40] in the central nervous system. In recent years, the effect of acupuncture on central system inflammation and its underlying mechanism have attracted much attention.…”

Akupunktur in der Psychiatrie – Chancen und Grenzen

“…Bei neurokognitiven Störungen, wie z. B. Demenz, scheint Akupunktur u. a. über eine Wirkung auf die Neuroplastizität via BDNF einen positiven Einfluss auszuüben [112,113,114,115].…”

Electroacupuncture Alleviates Neuropathic Pain through Regulating miR-206-3p Targeting BDNF after CCI

“…Research suggests that many microRNAs (miRNAs) participate in the regulatory effect of acupuncture on ischaemic stroke, spinal cord injury, depression, and other conditions [ 8 – 11 ]. However, the effect of EA on miRNA-dependent modulators in neuropathic pain is largely undefined [ 12 , 13 ].…”

“…Some data suggest that BDNF is connected with the regulatory process by which EA relieves neuropathic pain [ 16 ]. Furthermore, as a potential target gene, BDNF is negatively regulated by a variety of miRNAs such as miR-30a, miR-206, and miR-1B [ 13 , 17 ].…”

“…miRNAs are endogenous, noncoding RNA with approximately 22 nucleotides in length that are found widely in eukaryotes and prevent mRNA translation and/or promote protein degradation by complementarily binding to specific sites in the 3′-untranslated regions (3′-UTRs) of target genes [ 4 ]. Some studies have demonstrated that miRNAs are related to the process of chronic pain (Qiang [ 3 , 18 ]) and that EA might enhance the repair of peripheral nerve injury (PNI) through regulating miRNAs [ 13 ]. Evidence has suggested that an increase in miR-206 expression aids the recovery from neuropathic pain [ 15 ].…”