"Lifting Yang to Dredging Du Meridian Manipulation" acupuncture alleviates cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by mediating the NF-κB pathway

Xiahui Zhang; Lei Ma; Meifang Liu; Tao Zhu; Zhilin Huang; Youlong Xiong; Ziyi Wang; Jing Shi

doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2023.148477

"Lifting Yang to Dredging Du Meridian Manipulation" acupuncture alleviates cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by mediating the NF-κB pathway

Brain Res. 2023 Oct 1:1816:148477. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2023.148477. Epub 2023 Jul 4.

Authors

Xiahui Zhang¹, Lei Ma¹, Meifang Liu¹, Tao Zhu², Zhilin Huang², Youlong Xiong¹, Ziyi Wang¹, Jing Shi³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Acupuncture, Yunnan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.120 Guanghua Street, Kunming, Yunnan Province 650021, China.
² College of Acupuncture and Massage, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.1076 Yuhua Road, Kunming, Yunnan Province 650500, China.
³ Department of Acupuncture, Yunnan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.120 Guanghua Street, Kunming, Yunnan Province 650021, China. Electronic address: 2662831291@qq.com.

PMID: 37414270
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2023.148477

Abstract

Background: Ischemic stroke is a permanent neurological impairment resulting from the narrowing or blockage of blood vessels in the brain. The effectiveness of "Lifting Yang to Dredging Du Meridian Manipulation" (LYDD) acupuncture in clinical treatment of ischemic stroke patients has been well-established. Nevertheless, its mechanism is still uncertain.

Methods: MCAO/R rat models at different time points of reperfusion (24, 36, 48 and 72 h) were constructed, and LYDD acupuncture treatment was performed. Zea-Longa score and TTC staining were used for assessing neurological impairment and cerebral infarct in rats, respectively. The pathological changes of cerebral tissue in each group were observed by HE and Nissl's staining. Cerebral tissue from each group was subjected to RNA-seq, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were performed for GO and KEGG enrichment analysis, and hub gene was identified based on the String database and MCODE algorithm.

Results: LYDD acupuncture treatment significantly reduced Zea-Longa score, dry-wet weight ratio, infarct area, inflammatory factor levels (IL-1β and TNF-α), cerebral lesions, number of Nissl body and neuronal apoptosis in the MCAO/R model at different time points of reperfusion. A total of 3518 DEGs were identified in the MCAO/R model compared to the control group, and 3461 DEGs were present in the treatment group compared to the MCAO/R model, and they may be implicated in neurotransmitter transmission, synaptic membrane potential, cell junctions, inflammatory response, immune response, cell cycle, and ECM. The expression trends of BIRC3, LTBR, PLCG2, TLR4 and TRADD mRNAs in the Hub gene were consistent with the RNA-seq results, and LYDD acupuncture treatment significantly inhibited MCAO/R-induced p65 nuclear translocation.

Conclusions: LYDD acupuncture ameliorates cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting NF-κB pathway activity.

Keywords: Ischemia-reperfusion; Ischemic stroke; NF-κB pathway; RNA-seq; “Lifting Yang to Dredging Du Meridian Manipulation” acupuncture.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Acupuncture Therapy*
Animals
Brain Ischemia* / metabolism
Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / metabolism
Ischemic Stroke*
Lifting
Meridians*
NF-kappa B / metabolism
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Reperfusion Injury* / metabolism

Substances

NF-kappa B