PMID- 34698459
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20211027
LR  - 20211204
IS  - 1000-0607 (Print)
IS  - 1000-0607 (Linking)
VI  - 46
IP  - 10
DP  - 2021 Oct 25
TI  - [Acupuncture improves cognitive function of vascular dementia rats by regulating 
      PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway].
PG  - 851-6
LID - 10.13702/j.1000-0607.200844 [doi]
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanism of acupuncture in improving cognitive ability 
      by regulating hippocampal phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B 
      (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway in vascular dementia (VD) 
      rats. METHODS: A total of 80 male SD rats were randomized into sham operation, 
      model, non-acupoint and acupoint groups (n=18 per group). The VD model was 
      established by ligation of the bilateral common carotid arteries. For rats of the 
      acupoint group, "Baihui" (GV20) and bilateral "Zusanli "(ST36) were needled and 
      stimulated by twirling the needles with reinforcing method, and for rats of the 
      non-acupoint group, the bilateral subcostal spots (about 10 mm superior to the 
      iliac cresta) were needled and stimulated by twirling the needles with uniform 
      reinforcing and reducing method. The treatment was conducted once daily, 6 times 
      a week for two weeks, beginning 3 days after successful modeling. Rats of the 
      sham operation group and model group received grasps as those in the acupoint 
      groups. Morris water maze test was used to detect the abilities of learning and 
      spatial memory. The contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde 
      (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the activities of acetylcholinesterase 
      (AChE) and acetylcholine transferase (ChAT) in the hippocampus tissue were 
      detected by using ELISA, changes of hippocampal mitochondrial membrane potential 
      (MMP) detected using JC-1 fluorescence probe, and the expression levels of 
      hippocampal phosphorylated (p)-PI3K, p-Akt and mTOR proteins measured using 
      Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the sham operation group, the escape 
      latency, contents of ROS and MDA, and AChE activity were significantly increased 
      (P<0.05), and the spatial memory ability, SOD activity, ChAT activity, MMP, 
      p-PI3K, p-Akt and mTOR expression levels were significantly decreased in the 
      model group (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, carotid artery 
      ligature-induced increase of the escape latency, contents of ROS and MDA, and 
      AChE activity, and decrease of the spatial memory ability, SOD activity, ChAT 
      activity, MMP, p-PI3K, p-Akt and mTOR expression levels were significantly 
      reversed in the acupuncture group (P< 0.05), but not in the non-acupoint group 
      (P>0.05). The therapeutic effects of acupoint needling were obviously superior to 
      those of non-acupoint needling in decreasing the escape latency, contents of ROS 
      and MDA, and AChE activity (P<0.05), and in increasing the spatial memory 
      ability, SOD activity, ChAT activity, MMP, p-PI3K, p-Akt and mTOR expre-ssion 
      levels (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture can improve cognitive function of VD 
      rats, which may be related with its functions in easing oxidative stress and MMP 
      reduction by activating PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in the hippocampus.
FAU - Li, Long-Chun
AU  - Li LC
AD  - Clinical School of Acupuncture and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of 
      Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, China.
FAU - Li, Xiao-Ye
AU  - Li XY
AD  - Department of Rehabilitation, Baoan District Maternal and Child Health Hospital 
      of Shenzhen City, Shenzhen 518101, Guangdong Province.
FAU - Du, Xiao-Hua
AU  - Du XH
AD  - College of Acupuncture and Massage, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, 
      Nanning 530001.
LA  - chi
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - China
TA  - Zhen Ci Yan Jiu
JT  - Zhen ci yan jiu = Acupuncture research
JID - 8507710
RN  - EC 2.7.1.1 (mTOR protein, rat)
RN  - EC 2.7.1.137 (Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase)
RN  - EC 2.7.11.1 (Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt)
RN  - EC 2.7.11.1 (TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases)
RN  - EC 3.1.1.7 (Acetylcholinesterase)
SB  - IM
MH  - Acetylcholinesterase
MH  - *Acupuncture Therapy
MH  - Animals
MH  - Cognition
MH  - *Dementia, Vascular/genetics/therapy
MH  - Hippocampus
MH  - Male
MH  - Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase
MH  - Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics
MH  - Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics
MH  - Rats
MH  - Rats, Sprague-Dawley
MH  - TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Acupuncture
OT  - Cognitive function
OT  - Hippocampus
OT  - Mitochondrial membrane potential
OT  - Oxidative stress
OT  - PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway
OT  - Vascular dementia
EDAT- 2021/10/27 06:00
MHDA- 2021/10/28 06:00
CRDT- 2021/10/26 09:43
PHST- 2021/10/26 09:43 [entrez]
PHST- 2021/10/27 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2021/10/28 06:00 [medline]
AID - 10.13702/j.1000-0607.200844 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 2021 Oct 25;46(10):851-6. doi: 10.13702/j.1000-0607.200844.