Department of Children Rehabilitation, Key Laboratory of Rehabilitation Medicine in Henan, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
Institute of Health Engineering, Zhengzhou Health Vocational College, Zhengzhou, China.
J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2022 Jan 29;81(2):127-134. doi: 10.1093/jnen/nlab132.
Autism is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that severely affects patients' quality of life. We aimed to investigate whether acupuncture at Zusanli (ST36) could alleviate the behavior disorder of autistic rats by inhibiting thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP)-mediated activation of NLRP3. An autism model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of pregnant rats with valproic acid (VPA). The pups' behaviors were analyzed using hot plate, open field, Morris water maze, and 3-chamber social interaction tests. Nissl staining was used to visualize neurons in prefrontal cortex. Levels of TXNIP, NLRP3, interleukin (IL)-1β, and caspase were determined by Western blot or quantitative real-time PCR. After ST36 acupuncture, pain sensitivity, autonomous activity, sociability index, sociability preference index, and learning and memory were improved in the autism model rats. Levels of TXNIP, NLRP3, IL-1β, and caspase 1 were decreased after acupuncture. Interference with TXNIP alleviated the behavior disorders and inhibited NLRP3, caspase 1, and IL-1β levels. In summary, ST36 acupuncture reduced TXNIP expression, inhibited the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, and alleviated the behavior disorder related to the prefrontal cortex of the autistic rats. These results point to a potential mechanism for acupuncture-induced improvement of autistic behavioral disorders.
自闭症是一种常见的神经发育障碍，严重影响患者的生活质量。我们旨在研究针刺足三里（ST36）是否通过抑制硫氧还蛋白相互作用蛋白（TXNIP）介导的 NLRP3 激活来减轻自闭症大鼠的行为障碍。通过给怀孕大鼠腹腔注射丙戊酸（VPA）来诱导自闭症模型。使用热板、旷场、Morris 水迷宫和 3 室社交互动测试分析幼鼠的行为。使用尼氏染色可视化前额叶皮质中的神经元。通过 Western blot 或定量实时 PCR 测定 TXNIP、NLRP3、白细胞介素 (IL)-1β 和半胱天冬酶的水平。在 ST36 针刺后，自闭症模型大鼠的疼痛敏感性、自主活动、社交指数、社交偏好指数以及学习和记忆能力得到改善。针刺后 TXNIP、NLRP3、IL-1β 和 caspase 1 的水平降低。干扰 TXNIP 减轻了行为障碍，并抑制了 NLRP3、caspase 1 和 IL-1β 水平。总之，ST36 针刺降低了 TXNIP 的表达，抑制了 NLRP3 炎性小体的激活，减轻了自闭症大鼠与前额叶皮层相关的行为障碍。这些结果表明了针刺诱导自闭症行为障碍改善的潜在机制。
