First Ward of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Second Affiliated Hospital, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, 150001, China.
Second Affiliated Hospital, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, 150001, China.
J Mol Neurosci. 2021 Sep;71(9):1863-1875. doi: 10.1007/s12031-020-01770-x. Epub 2021 Jan 5.
Baihui-penetrating-Qubin acupuncture is frequently used to treat intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in China. Acupuncture affects multiple microRNAs in diseases. MicroRNA-23a-3p (miR-23a-3p) has been demonstrated to be up-regulated in ICH patients. Herein, the effect of Baihui-penetrating-Qubin acupuncture on miR-23a-3p expression after ICH and the role of miR-23a-3p in ICH were discussed. A rat model of ICH was induced by infusing autologous blood into caudate nucleus. Acupuncture was performed after ICH once a day for 30 min. After 3 consecutive days of acupuncture, the neurobehavioral function, brain edema, neuronal cell death, inflammation, ferroptosis, nuclear factor E2-like 2 (NFE2L2) signaling and miR-23a-3p levels in brain tissues were analyzed. Additionally, antagomiR-23a-3p was injected into rats 3 days prior to ICH modeling to analyze the function of miR-23a-3p in neuronal cell death, inflammation, ferroptosis, and NFE2L2 signaling. Acupuncture relieved the ICH-induced neurological function deficits, increases in brain water content and Fluoro-Jade B (FJB)-positive cells and release of proinflammatory cytokines. Acupuncture also alleviated ferroptosis and decreased miR-23a-3p expression, as evidenced by the increased NFE2L2 nuclear translocation and expressions of heme oxygenase-1 and glutathione peroxidase 4 and the decreased iron and malondialdehyde contents and reactive oxygen species accumulation. Additionally, antagomiR-23a-3p inhibited the ICH-induced increases in FJB-positive cells, release of proinflammatory cytokines, ferroptosis, and promoted NFE2L2 activation. Notably, the binding site of miR-23a-3p existed in NFE2L2. Taken together, acupuncture may alleviate the neuronal cell death, inflammation, and ferroptosis after ICH by down-regulating miR-23a-3p. This study provides a potential mechanism underlying the Baihui-penetrating-Qubin acupuncture improving the early injury after ICH.
百会透曲鬓针刺法常用于中国治疗脑出血（ICH）。针刺会影响多种疾病相关的 microRNAs。已有研究表明，microRNA-23a-3p（miR-23a-3p）在 ICH 患者中上调。本研究探讨了百会透曲鬓针刺法对 ICH 后 miR-23a-3p 表达的影响，以及 miR-23a-3p 在 ICH 中的作用。通过将自体血注入尾状核诱导大鼠 ICH 模型。ICH 后每天进行一次针刺，每次 30 分钟，连续 3 天。针刺 3 天后，分析大鼠的神经行为功能、脑水肿、神经元细胞死亡、炎症、铁死亡、核因子 E2 样 2（NFE2L2）信号通路和脑组织中 miR-23a-3p 水平。此外，在 ICH 建模前 3 天向大鼠注射 antagomiR-23a-3p，以分析 miR-23a-3p 在神经元细胞死亡、炎症、铁死亡和 NFE2L2 信号通路中的作用。针刺减轻了 ICH 引起的神经功能缺损、脑含水量增加和 Fluoro-Jade B（FJB）阳性细胞增加以及促炎细胞因子的释放。针刺还减轻了铁死亡，降低了 miR-23a-3p 的表达，表现为 NFE2L2 核易位增加、血红素加氧酶-1 和谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶 4 的表达增加，铁和丙二醛含量以及活性氧积累减少。此外，antagomiR-23a-3p 抑制了 ICH 引起的 FJB 阳性细胞增加、促炎细胞因子释放、铁死亡和 NFE2L2 激活。值得注意的是，miR-23a-3p 的结合位点存在于 NFE2L2 中。综上所述，针刺可能通过下调 miR-23a-3p 减轻 ICH 后神经元细胞死亡、炎症和铁死亡。本研究为百会透曲鬓针刺改善 ICH 后早期损伤提供了潜在机制。
