Author: Li QQ1, Shi GX1, Yang JW1, Li ZX1, Zhang ZH1, He T1, Wang J1, Liu LY1, Liu CZ2.
Affiliation: 1Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine affiliated with Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China. 2Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine affiliated with Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China. Electronic address: lcz623780@126.com.
Conference/Journal: Physiol Behav.
Date published: 2014 Dec 3
Other:
Pages: S0031-9384(14)00603-9. , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.12.001. , Word Count: 218
Acupuncture has beneficial effects in vascular dementia (VaD) patients. The underlying mechanism, however, remains unknown. The present study was designed to investigate whether the cAMP/PKA/CREB cascade is involved in the mechanism of acupuncture in cerebral multi-infarction rats. In this study, cerebral multi-infarction was modeled in adult Wistar rats by homologous blood clot emboli. After a two-week acupuncture treatment at Zusanli (ST36), hippocampal-dependent memory was tested by employing radial arm maze test. The hippocampus was isolated for analyses of cAMP concentration, phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity and CREB/pCREB and ERK/pERK expressions. The Morris water maze (MWM) task and CREB phosphorylation were evaluated in the presence of PKA-selective peptide inhibitor (H89). The radial arm maze test results demonstrated that acupuncture treatment at ST36 reversed hippocampal-dependent memory in impaired animals. Compared to those of the impaired group, cAMP concentration, PKA activity and pCREB and pERK expressions were increased following acupuncture therapy. Finally, the blockade of PKA reversed the increase in CREB phosphorylation and the improvement in recognitive function induced by acupuncture treatment. These results suggests that acupuncture could improve hippocampus function by modulating the cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling pathway, which represents a molecular mechanism of acupuncture for recognitive function in cerebral multi-infarction rats.
Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.
KEYWORDS:
Acupuncture; Cognitive function; Neuroprotective effect; Stroke; cAMP/PKA/CREB
PMID: 25481359