The First People's Hospital of Zunyi (The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University), No. 98 Fenghuang Road, Huichuan District, Zunyi, 563000, Guizhou Province, People's Republic of China.
J Physiol Sci. 2024 Oct 3;74(1):49. doi: 10.1186/s12576-024-00941-4.
Acupuncture can improve herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE), but the underlying mechanism is not clear. Therefore, we evaluated the cognitive function and apoptosis in hippocampus caused by herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) in rats after acupuncture and described the molecular mechanism.
Sprague-Dawley rats were induced into HSE models by HSV-1 infection. After 3 days, they received acupuncture at the acupoints of Xuanzhong (GB39), Baihui (GV20), Shenmen (HT7), Shenting (GV24), and Sanyinjiao (SP6), and/or intraperitoneal injection of the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580. Morris water maze test was performed on rats. The hippocampus of rats was obtained, and the expression of apoptosis-related genes in the tissues was detected by qRT-PCR. In addition, apoptosis-related proteins and proteins related to the p38 MAPK/CREB pathway in the tissues was detected by western blot.
After HSV-1 induction, the rat's escape latency was increased, the time spent on the platform in the target quadrant and the number of platform crossings significantly decreased. In addition, there was an increase in apoptosis in the hippocampus, accompanied by elevated levels of p-p38 and decreased levels of p-CREB. However, these effects could be improved by acupuncture treatment. Interestingly, SB203580 plays a similar role to acupuncture, and acupuncture could further enhance the impacts of SB203580 on cognitive function and apoptosis in hippocampus in HSE rats.
Acupuncture improves spatial learning and memory impairment caused by HSV-1 in rats. The functional mechanism of acupuncture may be through the p38 MAPK/CREB pathway.
针灸可以改善单纯疱疹脑炎（HSE），但其潜在机制尚不清楚。因此，我们评估了单纯疱疹病毒 1 型（HSV-1）感染大鼠后针刺对海马认知功能和凋亡的影响，并描述了分子机制。
通过 HSV-1 感染诱导 Sprague-Dawley 大鼠产生 HSE 模型。感染后 3 天，对大鼠进行针刺治疗，选穴为悬钟（GB39）、百会（GV20）、神门（HT7）、神庭（GV24）和三阴交（SP6），同时或单独给予 p38 MAPK 抑制剂 SB203580 腹腔注射。对大鼠进行 Morris 水迷宫测试。获取大鼠海马组织，采用 qRT-PCR 检测组织中凋亡相关基因的表达。此外，采用 Western blot 检测组织中凋亡相关蛋白和 p38 MAPK/CREB 通路相关蛋白的表达。
HSV-1 诱导后，大鼠的逃避潜伏期增加，目标象限停留时间和平台穿越次数明显减少。此外，海马组织中出现细胞凋亡增加，p-p38 水平升高，p-CREB 水平降低。然而，针刺治疗可以改善这些变化。有趣的是，SB203580 发挥了与针刺相似的作用，而针刺可以进一步增强 SB203580 对 HSE 大鼠海马认知功能和凋亡的影响。
针刺可改善 HSV-1 感染大鼠的空间学习记忆障碍。针刺的功能机制可能是通过 p38 MAPK/CREB 通路。
