| 23525450 |
Electroacupuncture ameliorates cognitive impairment through inhibition of NF-kappaB-mediated neuronal cell apoptosis in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injured rats. |
Mol Med Rep. 2013 May;7(5):1516-22. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2013.1392. Epub 2013 Mar 22. |
2013 May |
Cognitive impairment is a serious mental deficit following stroke that severely affects the quality of life of stroke survivors. Nuclear factor鈥慿appaB (NF-kappaB)-mediated neuronal cell apoptosis is involved in the development of post-stroke cognitive impairment; therefore, it has become a promising target for the treatment of impaired cognition. Acupuncture at the Baihui (DU20) and Shenting (DU24) acupoints is commonly used in China to clinically treat post鈥憇troke cognitive impairment; however, the precise mechanism of its action is largely unknown. In the present study, we evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of electroacupuncture against post-stroke cognitive impairment and investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms using a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Electroacupuncture at Baihui and Shenting was identified to significantly ameliorate neurological deficits and reduce cerebral infarct volume. Additionally, electroacupuncture improved learning and memory ability in cerebral I/R injured rats, demonstrating its therapeutic efficacy against post-stroke cognitive impairment. Furthermore, electroacupuncture significantly suppressed the I/R-induced activation of NF-kappaB signaling in ischemic cerebral tissues. The inhibitory effect of electroacupuncture on NF-kappaB activation led to the inhibition of cerebral cell apoptosis. Finally, electroacupuncture markedly downregulated the expression of pro-apoptotic Bax and Fas, two critical downstream target genes of the NF-kappaB pathway. Collectively, our findings suggest that inhibition of NF-kappaB鈥憁ediated neuronal cell apoptosis may be one mechanism via which electroacupuncture at Baihui and Shenting exerts a therapeutic effect on post-stroke cognitive impairment."
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