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Electroacupuncture ameliorates cognitive impairment and regulates the expression of apoptosis-related genes Bcl-2 and Bax in rats with cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion injury.

AbstractBACKGROUND:
Post-stroke cognitive impairment seriously affects the quality of life and functional rehabilitation of patients with stroke.
OBJECTIVE:
To examine the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at GV20 and GV24 on cognitive impairment and apoptosis including expression of apoptosis-related genes Bcl-2 and Bax in a rat model of cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).
METHODS:
Thirty-five Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated to a sham operation control group (SC group, n=10) or underwent surgery and MCAO (n=25). Postoperatively the latter group was randomly subdivided into EA or untreated (IR) groups. Cognitive impairment was assessed using the Morris water maze (MWM). Apoptosis was examined by detection of Bcl-2 and Bax expression in the cerebral cortex.
RESULTS:
The EA group had significantly decreased neurological deficit scores compared to the IR group (p<0.05). In the MWM test, significant differences in escape latency and route were observed between the EA and IR groups (p<0.05). Rats in the EA group performed better in the probe trial than those in the IR group (p<0.05). EA treatment markedly reduced the number of TUNEL-positive cells compared to the IR group (20.13±4.30% vs 38.40±3.38%; p<0.001). Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results showed the Bcl-2/Bax ratio was significantly increased in the EA group compared to the IR group (1.61±0.19 vs 0.50±0.05, p<0.01).
CONCLUSIONS:
These findings suggest that EA ameliorates cognitive impairment of rats with IR injury by modulating Bcl-2 and Bax expression.
AuthorsFang Liu, Yi-Jing Jiang, Hong-Jia Zhao, Li-Qun Yao, Li-Dian Chen
JournalAcupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society (Acupunct Med) Vol. 33 Issue 6 Pg. 478-84 (Dec 2015) ISSN: 1759-9873 [Electronic] England
PMID26376847 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
CopyrightPublished by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/
Chemical References
  • Bax protein, rat
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein
Topics
  • Acupuncture Points
  • Animals
  • Apoptosis (genetics)
  • Brain Ischemia (complications, therapy)
  • Cognition Disorders (etiology, therapy)
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Electroacupuncture
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Genes, bcl-2
  • Neurons (pathology)
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Reperfusion Injury (complications, therapy)
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein (genetics)

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