Electroacupuncture ameliorates learning and memory in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting oxidative stress and promoting p-CREB expression in the hippocampus

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the mechanisms by which electroacupuncture (EA) ameliorates learning and memory in rats with cerebral ischemic‑reperfusion (I/R) injury. Focal cerebral ischemia was induced in adult male Sprague‑Dawley (SD) rats by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Following MCAO surgery, the rats received EA at the Shenting (DU24) and Baihui (DU20) acupoints. The results of the present study demonstrated that treatment with EA significantly ameliorated neurological deficits and reduced cerebral infarct volume (P<0.05). In addition, EA improved the learning and memory ability of the rats, and markedly activated the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response element‑binding protein (CREB) signaling pathway, resulting in the inhibition of cerebral cell apoptosis in the ischemic penumbra. Furthermore, EA increased the activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, the protein expression levels of phosphorylated‑CREB and B‑cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl‑2), and the mRNA expression levels of Bcl‑2. Conversely, EA decreased the levels of malondialdehyde and inhibited the expression levels of Bcl2‑associated X protein. The results of the present study suggest that treatment with EA may result in the amelioration of learning and memory ability in rats with cerebral I/R injury.

Acupuncture as a multifunctional neuroprotective therapy ameliorates cognitive impairment in a rat model of vascular dementia: A quantitative iTRAQ proteomics study

“…It means antioxidant activity is far from enough to completely remove excess ROS. Lin and his colleagues demonstrated that acupuncture could ameliorate learning and memory in rats with ischemic injury via increasing the activity of SOD1, which is consistent with our results.…”

Electro-acupuncture ameliorates cognitive impairment via improvement of brain-derived neurotropic factor-mediated hippocampal synaptic plasticity in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injured rats

“…Consistent with the findings of previous studies by our group (7,8), a Morris water maze test demonstrated that EA improved the learning and memory ability of rats with cerebral I/R injury, confirming the therapeutic efficacy of EA on post-stroke cognitive impairment.…”

“…They are located on a branch of the Du Meridian that runs over the head, which are associated with cognitive function in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Previous studies by our group have confirmed the efficacy of electro-acupuncture (EA) on the Shenting (DU24) and Baihui (DU20) acupoints in the rehabilitation of cognitive impairment in experimental settings (7,8).…”

“…All of the rats were subjected to the Morris water maze test from the 3rd day after EA treatment to assess spatial learning ability and memory (8,21). The water maze apparatus (Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China) included a circular pool (diameter, 120 cm; depth, 50 cm) filled with water (temperature, 25±2˚C; depth, 30 cm).…”

“…They are located on a branch of the Du Meridian that runs over the head, which are associated with cognitive function in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Previous studies by our group have confirmed the efficacy of electro-acupuncture (EA) on the Shenting (DU24) and Baihui (DU20) acupoints in the rehabilitation of cognitive impairment in experimental settings (7,8).Although the pathogenic mechanisms of post-stoke cognitive impairment are complex, decreased hippocampal synaptic plasticity has been suggested to be one of the key elements (9,10). Modulation of synaptic plasticity is highly controlled by brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) protein binding to specific tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) Electro-acupuncture ameliorates cognitive impairment via improvement of brain-derived neurotropic factor-mediated hippocampal synaptic plasticity in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injured rats …”