First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China.
Neural Plast. 2021 Aug 26;2021:9960304. doi: 10.1155/2021/9960304. eCollection 2021.
Memory loss and cognitive impairment characterize the neurodegenerative disorder, Alzheimer's disease (AD). Amyloid- (A) is the key factor that triggers the course of AD, and reducing the deposition of A in the brain has been considered as a potential target for the treatment of AD. In clinical and animal studies, electroacupuncture (EA) has been shown to be an effective treatment for AD. In recent years, substantial evidence has accumulated suggesting the important role of the glymphatic system in A clearance.
The purpose of this study was to explore whether EA modifies the accumulation of A through the glymphatic system and may thus be applied to alleviate cognitive impairments.
Seven-month-old SAMP8 mice were randomized into a control group (Pc) and an electroacupuncture group (Pe). Age-matched SAMR1 mice were used as normal controls (Rc). Mice in the Pe group were stimulated on Baihui (GV20) and Yintang (GV29) for 10 min and then pricked at Shuigou (GV26) for ten times. EA treatment lasted for 8 weeks. In each week, EA would be applied once a day for the first five consecutive days and ceased at the remaining two days. After EA treatment, Morris water maze (MWM) test was used to evaluate the cognitive function; HE and Nissl staining was performed to observe the brain histomorphology; ELISA, contrast-enhanced MRI, and immunofluorescence were applied to explore the mechanisms underlying EA effects from A accumulation, glymphatic system function, reactivity of astrocytes, and AQP4 polarization, respectively.
This EA regime could improve cognition and alleviate neuropathological damage to brain tissue. And EA treatment might reduce A accumulation, enhance paravascular influx in the glymphatic system, inhibit the reactivity of astrocytes, and improve AQP4 polarity.
EA treatment might reduce A accumulation from the brain via improving clearance performance of the glymphatic system and thereby alleviating cognitive impairment.
记忆丧失和认知障碍是神经退行性疾病阿尔茨海默病（AD）的特征。淀粉样蛋白（A）是触发 AD 进程的关键因素，减少大脑中 A 的沉积被认为是 AD 治疗的潜在靶点。在临床和动物研究中，电针（EA）已被证明是 AD 的有效治疗方法。近年来，大量证据表明，糖质系统在 A 清除中的重要作用。
本研究旨在探讨 EA 是否通过糖质系统改变 A 的积累，从而可能用于缓解认知障碍。
将 7 月龄 SAMP8 小鼠随机分为对照组（Pc）和电针组（Pe）。年龄匹配的 SAMR1 小鼠作为正常对照（Rc）。Pe 组小鼠刺激百会（GV20）和印堂（GV29）10min，再水沟（GV26）针刺 10 次。EA 治疗持续 8 周。每周连续 5 天每天进行一次 EA，剩余 2 天停止。EA 治疗后，采用 Morris 水迷宫（MWM）测试评估认知功能；进行 HE 和尼氏染色观察脑组织形态学；ELISA、对比增强 MRI 和免疫荧光分别用于探讨 EA 对 A 积累、糖质系统功能、星形胶质细胞反应性和 AQP4 极化的影响机制。
这种 EA 方案可以改善认知，减轻脑组织的神经病理学损伤。EA 治疗可能通过改善糖质系统的清除性能来减少 A 的积累，增强血管周围流入，抑制星形胶质细胞反应性，并改善 AQP4 极性。
EA 治疗可能通过改善糖质系统的清除性能来减少大脑中的 A 积累，从而缓解认知障碍。
