Open Access

‘Governor vessel-unblocking and mind-regulating’ acupuncture therapy ameliorates cognitive dysfunction in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion

  • Authors:
    • Xuan Su
    • Zuqiang Wu
    • Fangyong Mai
    • Zhiyong Fan
    • Shujia Du
    • Hong Qian
    • Jingwen Zhu
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: November 6, 2018     https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2018.3981
  • Pages: 221-232
  • Copyright: © Su et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicinal therapy, which is used for the amelioration of cognitive dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and relevancy mechanisms of ‘governor vessel‑unblocking and mind‑regulating’ acupuncture therapy for cognitive dysfunction in rats with ischemia. For this purpose, we used the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) method to induce cognitive dysfunction in rats. The behavioral changes in the rats were examined using the Morris water maze (MWM) test. The effects of the treatment on oxidative stress response and the function of the mitochondria in brain tissues were also assessed. The results revealed that ‘governor vessel‑unblocking and mind‑regulating’ acupuncture therapy markedly improved the cognitive ability of the rats with cognitive dysfunction. The production of pro‑oxidative stress factors, including nitric oxide (NO) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), was also blocked along with the amelioration of cognitive function, while the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and cyclooxygenase (COX) was restored. At the molecular level, the accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) in the mitochondria was suppressed by ‘governor vessel‑unblocking and mind‑regulating’ acupuncture therapy, which may be attributed to the inhibition of the function of translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane 40 (TOMM40) and translocase of inner mitochondrial membrane 17A (TIMM17A). On the whole, the findings of the present study confirm the effects of ‘governor vessel‑unblocking and mind‑regulating’ acupuncture therapy on cognitive dysfunction induced by brain ischemia in rats, and that the mechanisms underlying the effects of this treatment might be mediated through the inhibition of TOMM40 and TIMM17A synthesis, which can relieve mitochondrial dysfunction from the accumulation of Aβ.
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January-2019
Volume 43 Issue 1

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

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Spandidos Publications style
Su X, Wu Z, Mai F, Fan Z, Du S, Qian H and Zhu J: ‘Governor vessel-unblocking and mind-regulating’ acupuncture therapy ameliorates cognitive dysfunction in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion. Int J Mol Med 43: 221-232, 2019
APA
Su, X., Wu, Z., Mai, F., Fan, Z., Du, S., Qian, H., & Zhu, J. (2019). ‘Governor vessel-unblocking and mind-regulating’ acupuncture therapy ameliorates cognitive dysfunction in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion. International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 43, 221-232. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2018.3981
MLA
Su, X., Wu, Z., Mai, F., Fan, Z., Du, S., Qian, H., Zhu, J."‘Governor vessel-unblocking and mind-regulating’ acupuncture therapy ameliorates cognitive dysfunction in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 43.1 (2019): 221-232.
Chicago
Su, X., Wu, Z., Mai, F., Fan, Z., Du, S., Qian, H., Zhu, J."‘Governor vessel-unblocking and mind-regulating’ acupuncture therapy ameliorates cognitive dysfunction in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 43, no. 1 (2019): 221-232. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2018.3981