Regulatory effects of head acupuncture on the GABAergic system and Wnt7a/β-catenin pathway in post-stroke spasticity rats.

To investigate the regulation of the GABAergic system and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in rats with limb spasticity after stroke by Head Acupuncture therapy and its potential mechanism. A middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model was established by the thread bolus method, and randomly grouped into a blank group, a model group, and a needling group, the latter of which received the intervention of needling at the points of "Hundred Houses" and "Rate Valley" for 30 min a day for 7 consecutive days. The neurological deficits and muscle tone of rats were assessed by Zeo Longa score and modified Ashworth score, and the expression levels of key proteins of the GABAergic system (GAD65, GAD67, GABA-T, GAT-3, NKCC1) and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway were detected by immunohistochemistry, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway key protein expression levels. Head Acupuncture significantly improved the neurological deficit score and muscle tone of rats in the model group, decreased the mRNA and protein expression levels of GABA-T and NKCC1, and significantly up-regulated the expression of GAD65, GAD67, and GAT-3. In addition, acupuncture promoted the expression of Wnt7a and β-catenin, and the effect of 7 days of treatment was better than that of 1 day. Head Acupuncture therapy may exert a therapeutic effect on limb spasticity after stroke by regulating the balance of the GABAergic system and activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. This provides a new experimental basis for the application of acupuncture in post-stroke sequelae.Clinical trial number: 2024062814.