Browsing by Subject "Electroacupuncture"

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    Electroacupuncture ameliorates learning and memory impairment by inhibiting inflammation and promoting synaptic plasticity via inhibition of the NF-KB/NLRP3 signaling pathway in cerebral ischemic rats
    (2026) Guoyuan Pan; Dan Lu1; Mingjin Zhu; Guifen Yang; Chenyi Huang; Yisu Shou; Xiong Jiangnan; Fang Luo; Sun Di; Chuchu Huang; Biología Celular e Histología; Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Histiologia
    Objective. Electroacupuncture (EA) has a protective effect on cerebral ischemic injury. However, the specific mechanism of action of EA has not been studied. In this study, we investigated whether EA was involved in the treatment of learning and memory impairment in rats with cerebral ischemia‒reperfusion injury (CIRI) through the NF-KB/NLRP3 signaling pathway. Methods. Ninety-five male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into five groups, each consisting of 19 rats. A rat model of cerebral ischemia was established using transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) combined with cerebral blood flow monitoring. Intervention treatments consisted of electroacupuncture and lipopolysaccharide (an NF-κB agonist) injection. The behavior, spatial learning, and memory ability of the rats were evaluated with the Morris water maze method. The degree of brain injury in the rats was observed via triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC), hematoxylin-eosin (H&E), and Fluoro-Jade B (FJB) staining. The expression levels of proteins related to the inflammatory response, pyroptosis, and synaptic plasticity were determined via western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. Changes in dendrites and spines were observed via Golgi-Cox staining. Results. Compared with those of the tMCAO group, the neural function scores and escape latency of the EA+tMCAO group were reduced. The cerebral infarct volume and the number of denatured neurons decreased. NF-κB, caspase-1, NLRP3, and IL-18 expression levels were significantly decreased. PSD95, SYP, and BDNF expression levels were significantly increased. The total number of dendrite junctions and the total length of dendrites increased. Compared with the EA+tMCAO and NS+EA+tMCAO groups, the escape latency in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)+EA+tMCAO group was significantly increased. NF-κB, IL-18, and cleaved caspase-1 expression levels were elevated. Conclusion. EA may inhibit NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway proteins; regulate the neuroinflammatory response; promote the expression of PSD-95, SYN, and BDNF; improve the structure of dendrites and dendritic spines; and alleviate cognitive impairment in rats with CIRI.
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    Electroacupuncture preconditioning attenuates acute lung injury in mice through transient receptor potential vanilloid 4-mediated anti-inflammation via inhibiting the p38 MAPK signaling pathway
    (Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Histiologia, 2026) Jiangtian Yan; Nina Yin; Wan Liu; Zhigang Wang; Lin Zeng; Biología Celular e Histología
    The objective of this study was to investigate the protective effect of electroacupuncture (EA) preconditioning on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. The changes in inflammatory factors and total protein content in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and bicinchoninic acid assay (BCA). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was employed to assess the extent of lung injury, while Ly-6G immunohistochemistry was used to examine the infiltration of inflammatory cells. Western blot analysis was employed to detect the expression of TRPV4 and proteins associated with the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. In comparison with the sham-operated group, the model group demonstrated an elevated production of inflammatory factors in the BALF, augmented total protein content, elevated lung injury score, increased number of Ly-6G-positive cells, upregulation of TRPV4 expression in the lung, and enhanced p38 phosphorylation. The aforementioned pathological changes were significantly improved by EA preconditioning. Furthermore, the protective effect of EA preconditioning on ALI mice was verified by the use of GSK1016790A, an agonist of TRPV4, which demonstrated that this effect is exerted through the TRPV4-mediated p38 MAPK signaling pathway.
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    Modifications in the distribution of met-enkephalin in the limbic system of the cat brain after electroacupuncture. An immunocytochemical study
    (Murcia : F. Hernández, 1995) Vazquez, J.; Muñoz Madrid, Juan; Cáceres, J.L.
    The distribution of met-enkephalin in the limbic system of the cat brain and its modification after low frequency electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation have been studied experimentally using the indirect immunocytochemistry technique. A marked increase of post-stimulation met-enkephalin immunoreactivity was observed in the tractus habenulo-penduncularis, tractus mamilo-thalamicus, and media1 forebrain bundle, and a decrease at the leve1 of the nucleus interpeduncularis, medialis dorsalis, stria terminals, septalis lateralis, septalis medialis, accumbens septi, supraopticus, and amygdaloideus centralis. The experimental results link the changes in immunoreactivity (and therefore the structures in which they take place) with the action of low frequency EA, and permit the conclusion that the met-enkephalinergic portion of the limbic system studied is directly related morpho-functionally with analgesia and the anatomic pathways of pain.
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    Modifications of the distribution of substance P-li ke immunoreactivity in the cerebral basal nuclei of the cat after electroacupuncture
    (Murcia : F. Hernández, 1993) Vazquez, J.; Muñoz Madrid, Juan; Luque, M.A.
    The distribution of Substance P in the fibrillar structures of the basal nuclei of the cat brain, and its modification with low frequency electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation, have been studied using the indirect immunocytochemistry technique. An increase in the immunoreactivity of Substance P (IR-SP) after stimulation with EA has been observed in the nucleus caudatus and nucleus putamen, in the globus pallidus, and in the amygdaloid complex. Abundant IRSP fibres have also been seen in some areas of the internal capsule. These observations place the said IR-SP modifications in the basal nuclei of the cat brain, when subjected to low frequency EA.