Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2021, Vol. 16 ›› Issue (6): 1011-1016.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.300454

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Electroacupuncture improves learning and memory functions in a rat cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury model through PI3K/Akt signaling pathway activation

Hui-Ling Wang1, Fei-Lai Liu1, Rui-Qing Li1, Ming-Yue Wan2, Jie-Ying Li3, Jing Shi3, Ming-Li Wu1, Jun-Hua Chen1, Wei-Juan Sun1, Hong-Xia Feng1, Wei Zhao1, Jin Huang3, Ren-Chao Liu3, Wen-Xue Hao2, Xiao-Dong Feng1, *   

  1. 1 Rehabilitation Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China;  2 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China;  3 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China 
  • Online:2021-06-15 Published:2020-12-31
  • Contact: Xiao-Dong Feng, MD, PhD, fxd0502@163.com or 15136194032@163.com.
  • Supported by:
    The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81574042, and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Special Research Projects of Henan Province of China, No. 2018JDZX011 (both to XDF).

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Abstract: Electroacupuncture has been widely used to treat cognitive impairment after cerebral ischemia, but the underlying mechanism has not yet been fully elucidated. Studies have shown that autophagy plays an important role in the formation and development of cognitive impairment, and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway plays an important role in autophagy regulation. To investigate the role played by the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the electroacupuncture treatment of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion rat models, we first established a rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion through the occlusion of the middle cerebral artery using the suture method. Starting at 2 hours after modeling, electroacupuncture was delivered at the Shenting (GV24) and Baihui (GV20) acupoints, with a dilatational wave (1–20 Hz frequency, 2 mA intensity, 6 V peak voltage), for 30 minutes/day over 8 consecutive days. Our results showed that electroacupuncture reduced the infarct volume in a rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, increased the mRNA expression levels of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway-related factors Beclin-1, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and PI3K, increased the protein expression levels of phosphorylated Akt, Beclin-1, PI3K, and mTOR in the ischemic cerebral cortex, and simultaneously reduced p53 mRNA and protein expression levels. In the Morris water maze test, the latency to find the hidden platform was significantly shortened among rats subjected to electroacupuncture stimulation compared with rats without electroacupuncture stimulation. In the spatial probe test, the number of times that a rat crossed the target quadrant was increased in rats subjected to electroacupuncture stimulation compared with rats without electroacupuncture stimulation. Electroacupuncture stimulation applied to the Shenting (GV24) and Baihui (GV20) acupoints activated the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and improved rat learning and memory impairment. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China (approval No. 8150150901) on March 10, 2016. 

Key words: acupuncture, brain, central nervous system, factor, neurological function, pathways, protein, stroke