Proteomic analysis of the neuroprotective mechanisms of acupuncture treatment in a Parkinson's disease mouse model

Abstract

Acupuncture is frequently used as an alternative therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD), and it attenuates dopaminergic (DA) neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra (SN) in PD animal models. Using proteomic analysis, we investigated whether acupuncture alters protein expression in the SN to favor attenuation of neuronal degeneration. In C57BL/6 mice treated with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP, 30 mg/kg/day), intraperitoneal (i.p.) for 5 days, 2 or 100 Hz electroacupuncture (EA) was applied at the effective and specific acupoint, GB34, once a day for 12 consecutive days from the first MPTP treatment. Both treatments in MPTP mice led to restoration of behavioral impairment and rescued tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive DA neurodegeneration. Using peptide fingerprinting MS, we identified changes in 22 proteins in the SN following MPTP treatment, and nine of these proteins were normalized by EA. They were involved in cell death regulation, inflammation, or restoration from damage. The levels of cyclophilin A (CypA), which is a neuroprotective agent, were unchanged by MPTP treatment but were increased in MPTP-EA mice. These results suggest that acupoint GB34-specific EA changes protein expression profiles in the SN in favor of DA neuronal survival in MPTP-treated mice, and that EA treatment may be an effective therapy for PD patients.

Acupuncture Improves Cognitive Deficits and Increases Neuron Density of the Hippocampus in Middle-Aged Samp8 Mice

“…Acupuncture therapy has also been implicated in increasing various neuroprotective agents (such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor, glial cell linederived neurotrophic factor and cyclophilin A) and attenuating oxidative stress in a neurodegenerative disease animal model. [49][50][51][52][53] Based on the above research, we hypothesise that the mechanism of acupuncture in increasing the number of neurons might be regulated by the interaction of three factors, as follows: (1) more neurons are generated during acupuncture; (2) cell death is decreased; or (3) the expression of various neuroprotective agents is increased.…”

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Electroacupuncture in the Respiratory System of a Symptomatic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Animal Model

“…EA treatment was performed twice a week with 14-week (98-day)-old male hSOD1 G93A transgenic mice (hSOD1 G93A ) at the Zusanli (ST36) acupoint, which is known to mediate anti-inflammatory effects [21,22] . The location of ST36 was determined according to the human acupoint landmark and a mouse anatomical reference [23,24] . Both control and EA-treated mice were placed under gaseous anesthesia (a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide provided at 3% for induction and 1.5% for maintenance) to minimize stress.…”

A Review of the Potential Effect of Electroacupuncture and Moxibustion on Cell Repair and Survival: The Role of Heat Shock Proteins

“…36 It has been shown that EA is effective in halting the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra with individual studies, however the role of HSP had not been studied. 38 Further, in familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS) mutant superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) aggregates to form intracellular inclusions. Remarkably, primary spinal cord cultures of FALS fails to upregulate HSP70 in response to heat shock, whereas cerebellar, cortical and pyramidal neurons, as well as astrocytes, efficiently upregulate HSP70 in response to heat shock.…”