Dong Weiguo, Guo Wanqing, Zheng Xuehua, Wang Feng, Chen Yue, Zhang Wenguang, Shi Hong
Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350122, Peoples Republic of China,
Metab Brain Dis. 2015 Jun;30(3):777-84. doi: 10.1007/s11011-014-9641-1. Epub 2014 Dec 12.
Perturbations of brain energy metabolism are involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase (AMPK) is a master energy sensor that monitors the levels of key energy metabolites. Electroacupuncture (EA) has demonstrated therapeutic potential for the treatment of AD. The effects of EA on cognitive functions and the changes of AMPK and its phosphorylated form (p-AMPK) expression were investigated in senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice. Cognitive function of SAMP8 mice was assessed using Morris water maze test after EA treatment. Then mice were sacrificed for immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. EA stimulation significantly alleviated memory impairment of AD mice, and increased the levels of p-AMPK in the hippocampus. These results suggest that EA improved cognitive function associated with AMPK activation, AMPK may be a molecular target of EA in treating AD.
脑能量代谢紊乱与阿尔茨海默病（AD）有关。单磷酸腺苷激活蛋白激酶（AMPK）是一种主要的能量传感器，可监测关键能量代谢物的水平。电针（EA）已显示出治疗AD的潜在疗效。本研究在快速老化小鼠8（SAMP8）中，探讨电针对认知功能的影响以及AMPK及其磷酸化形式（p-AMPK）表达的变化。电针治疗后，采用Morris水迷宫试验评估SAMP8小鼠的认知功能。然后处死小鼠进行免疫组化和蛋白质印迹分析。电针刺激显著减轻了AD小鼠的记忆损伤，并提高了海马中p-AMPK的水平。这些结果表明，电针通过激活AMPK改善认知功能，AMPK可能是电针治疗AD的分子靶点。
