Roles of electro-acupuncture in glucose metabolism as assessed by 18F-FDG/PET imaging and AMPKα phosphorylation in rats with ischemic stroke

  • Authors:
    • Jingsong Wu
    • Bingbing Lin
    • Weilin Liu
    • Jia Huang
    • Guanhao Shang
    • Yunjiao Lin
    • Lulu Wang
    • Lidian Chen
    • Jing Tao
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: July 6, 2017     https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2017.3057
  • Pages: 875-882
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Abstract

Targeted energy metabolism balance contributes to neural survival during ischemic stroke. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that electro‑acupuncture (EA) can enhance cerebral glucose metabolism assessed by 18F‑fluorodeoxyglucose/positron emission tomography (18F‑FDG/PET) imaging to prevent propagation of tissue damage and improve neurological outcome in rats subjected to ischemia and reperfusion injury. Rats underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and received EA treatment at the LI11 and ST36 acupoints or non‑acupoint treatment once a day for 7 days. After EA treatment, a significant reduction in the infarct volume was determined by T2‑weighted imaging, accompanied by the functional recovery in CatWalk and Rota-rod performance. Moreover, EA promoted higher glucose metabolism in the caudate putamen (CPu), motor cortex (MCTX), somatosensory cortex (SCTX) regions as assessed by animal 18F‑FDG/PET imaging, suggesting that three‑brain regional neural activity was enhanced by EA. In addition, the AMP‑activated protein kinase α (AMPKα) in the CPu, MCTX and SCTX regions was phosphorylated at threonine 172 (Thr172) after ischemic injury; however, phosphorylation of AMPK was further increased by EA. These results indicate that EA could promote AMPKα phosphorylation of the CPu, MCTX and SCTX regions to enhance neural activity and motor functional recovery after ischemic stroke.
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September-2017
Volume 40 Issue 3

Print ISSN: 1107-3756
Online ISSN:1791-244X

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Spandidos Publications style
Wu J, Lin B, Liu W, Huang J, Shang G, Lin Y, Wang L, Chen L and Tao J: Roles of electro-acupuncture in glucose metabolism as assessed by 18F-FDG/PET imaging and AMPKα phosphorylation in rats with ischemic stroke. Int J Mol Med 40: 875-882, 2017.
APA
Wu, J., Lin, B., Liu, W., Huang, J., Shang, G., Lin, Y. ... Tao, J. (2017). Roles of electro-acupuncture in glucose metabolism as assessed by 18F-FDG/PET imaging and AMPKα phosphorylation in rats with ischemic stroke. International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 40, 875-882. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2017.3057
MLA
Wu, J., Lin, B., Liu, W., Huang, J., Shang, G., Lin, Y., Wang, L., Chen, L., Tao, J."Roles of electro-acupuncture in glucose metabolism as assessed by 18F-FDG/PET imaging and AMPKα phosphorylation in rats with ischemic stroke". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 40.3 (2017): 875-882.
Chicago
Wu, J., Lin, B., Liu, W., Huang, J., Shang, G., Lin, Y., Wang, L., Chen, L., Tao, J."Roles of electro-acupuncture in glucose metabolism as assessed by 18F-FDG/PET imaging and AMPKα phosphorylation in rats with ischemic stroke". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 40, no. 3 (2017): 875-882. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2017.3057