Comparison and effect of moxibustion and acupuncture on Nogo/NgR signaling pathway in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

You-Jiang Min; Hai-Hua Yao; Li Wang; Li-Hong Cheng; En-Si Hong

doi:10.1016/j.jtcme.2023.03.006

Comparison and effect of moxibustion and acupuncture on Nogo/NgR signaling pathway in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

J Tradit Complement Med. 2023 Mar 22;13(5):430-440. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2023.03.006. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Authors

You-Jiang Min^{1

2}, Hai-Hua Yao³, Li Wang¹, Li-Hong Cheng², En-Si Hong²

Affiliations

¹ School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang Medical College, Nanchang, 330052, Jiangxi, China.
² Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi, China.
³ Shanghai Eighth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200235, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Background and aim: In China, acupuncture and moxibustion have been used effectively to treat various diseases for thousands of years. However, the evidence for a difference in the efficacies of moxibustion and acupuncture in cerebral infarction treatment is scarce. We aimed to compare the effects of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment on the Nogo/NgR signaling pathway in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury.

Experimental procedure: Eighty male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups, based on treatment received: sham surgery (sham group), middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO, MCAO group), MCAO and NEP(1-40) inhibitor injection (MCAO + block group), MCAO and moxibustion (MCAO + moxi group), and MCAO and minimal acupuncture (MCAO + MA group). Neurological status was evaluated before treatment, and cerebral infarction volume (IV) and neurological function; Nogo-A, NgR, p75NTR, and LINGO-1 expressions; and NgR and LINGO-1 co-expression were assessed after treatment.

Results and conclusion: After treatment, barring Nogo-A mRNA and protein expression in the MCAO + block group, the Longa score and IV significantly decreased; Nogo-A, NgR, p75NTR, and LINGO-1 mRNA and protein expressions as well as NgR and LINGO-1 co-expression significantly decreased in cerebral tissues; whereas the BWT score increased (P < 0.01) in the MCAO + moxi group, compared with the MCAO group. Except for NgR and LINGO-1 protein expressions, there were no significant differences in the abovementioned parameters between rats that underwent acupuncture and moxibustion. Acupuncture and moxibustion have similar effects on Nogo/NgR signaling pathway inhibition after cerebral infarction.

Keywords: Cerebral infarction; Myelin; Neural death; Neural restoration.