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Introduction: Despite acupuncture having been successfully used for the clinical treatment for vascular dementia in Asian countries for centuries, scientifically rigorous evidence is lacking for standardizing therapeutic parameters. To address this problem, it is necessary to examine the parameters of acupuncture using scientific methodology. The goal of this study is to investigate various therapeutic parameters, including manipulation, retention, and frequency of acupuncture, and their contribution to the efficacy of acupuncture in VD. Methods: We selected needle retention, treatment frequency, and needle rotation as the parameters. Acupuncture was performed on acupoints ST36 and GV20. Morris Water Maze was selected to assess the effect of acupuncture on cognitive function and Nissl staining indicated the hippocampal neuronal damage in VD rats. Results: Acupuncture stimulation resulted in a significant improvement in the spatial learning and memory deficit and reversed neuronal damage in the hippocampus. The approach of needle retention with 10 min, rotation for 30s every 5 min or daily treatment with acupuncture was more effective than nonretention, nonrotation, or alternative day treatment group. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that needle retention, treatment frequency, and needle manipulation are important factors in improving the learning and memory as well as reducing the neuronal damage of the hippocampus in a rat VD model. These findings strongly suggest that the appropriate therapeutic parameters could significant influence the efficiency in animal experiments. A series of appropriate therapeutic parameters, including rotating, retaining and frequency, could strongly influence the effectiveness of acupuncture in VD. Provide a new treatment plan that manipulation with twisting‐twirling, retaining needle at least 10 min and once a day treatment after 2VO surgery 1 day or 3 days for future experiments of VD rat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension is a global health problem. It has been reported that acupuncture at Taichong acupoints (LR3) decreases high blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats. A transcriptome analysis can profile gene expression and its relationship with acupuncture. In this study, rats were treated with 2 weeks of acupuncture followed by regular recording of blood pressure (BP). The mRNA changes in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) were evaluated to uncover the genetic mechanisms of acupuncture by using a whole transcript array (Affymetrix Rat Gene 1.0 ST array). BP measurements showed that acupuncture significantly decreased systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and heart rate (HR). In the bioinformatics results, 2371 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, where 83 DEGs were overlapped among Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKYs), spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), and SHRs + acupuncture rats (SHRs+Acu). Gene ontology (GO) and pathway analysis revealed that 279 GO terms and 20 pathways with significant differences were related to oxidative stress, inflammation, and vascular endothelial function. In addition, coexpressed DEGs networks indicated that Cd4 and Il-33 might mediate the cascade of inflammation and oxidative stress responses, which could serve as a potential target of acupuncture treatment. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that acupuncture is a promising therapy for treating hypertension and could regulate multiple biological processes mainly involving oxidative stress, inflammation, and vascular endothelial function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although, acupoint specificity is regarded as the core of scientific issues in electroacupuncture (EA), the difference of EA on treating functional dyspepsia (FD) at different acupoints is unclear. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the different therapeutic effects of EA at lower extremity or abdominal acupoints on the mucosal integrity and lower-inflammatory response in FD. The intragastric administration of iodoacetamide (IA) was performed in 48 rats to establish the FD model. These rats were randomly divided into the control group, the model group and the six EA groups receiving stimulation at the lower extremity (ST36, ST37, and ST39) or abdominal acupoints (ST25, CV4, and CV12) separately. The open-field test (OFT) was measured after 8 weeks of IA, and gastric emptying was evaluated after 10 days of the EA treatment. The local inflammation markers of CD45, eosinophil major basic protein (EMBP), and the tight junction proteins ZO1 and Claudin3 were assessed by immunofluorescence in all groups. Western blot analysis showed that the EMBP and Occludin1 levels in the duodenal. EA at lower extremity acupoint ST36 could improve the gastric emptying. EA at lower extremity acupoints reduced the immunoreactivity of EMBP, but the CD45 was reregulated by the ST37 and ST39 acupoints. The lower extremity acupoints also ameliorated FD-tight junction protein in the expression of Claudin3 and ZO1. However, only the ST36 suppressed the expression of EMBP and recovered the expression of Occludin1. Similarly, the effect of EA at abdominal acupoints was not obvious either in facilitating gastric motility or in improving inflammatory and mucosal injury. EA at lower extremity and abdominal acupoints with the same stimulation parameters had different therapeutic effects in gastric emptying, intestinal mucosal integrity, and inflammation response, thus proving the specificity of acupoints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Electroacupuncture (EA) is widely used in various gastrointestinal diseases around the world, including POI. Here, we investigated different therapeutic effects of EA using lower limb and abdomen acupoints. Methods: Intestinal manipulation was performed in 88 mice, and eight mice underwent a sham operation. Forty mice were randomly divided into model group and four EA groups receiving stimulation at ST36 (2, 10, 30, 100 Hz). The most effective frequency was then used in the following experiments. Forty‐eight mice were randomly divided into six groups receiving EA treatment at ST37, ST39, ST25, CV4, CV12, and a non‐acupuncture point. Gastrointestinal motility and plasma TNF‐α, IL‐6 were evaluated in all mice. The local immune response and α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA) expression were assessed by immunofluorescence, ELISA, and HE staining. Results: ST36 stimulated with 10 or 30 Hz EA significantly increased the gastrointestinal motility and attenuated peripheral inflammation; however, ST36 stimulated with 2 or 100 Hz did not induce any effect. The therapeutic effects on motility and inflammation of 10 Hz EA in the ST36 group were similar in the ST36, ST37, ST39, or CV4 groups, but when applied to ST25, CV12 or non‐acupoint had no significant differences. EA at ST36, ST37, ST39, or CV4 significantly inhibited local MPO activity, immune cells infiltration, and increased α‐SMA. Conclusions: EA at lower limb and abdomen acupoints with the same stimulation parameters had different therapeutic effects on postoperative dysmotility and inflammation. Furthermore, EA protected SMC to improve gastrointestinal transit by reducing local inflammation in the intestinal musculature in POI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Oxidative stress and inflammation have been implicated in the pathogenesis of vascular dementia (VD). Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) plays a vital role in oxidative stress and NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation. There is evidence that acupuncture has an antioxidative and neuroprotective effect in VD. In this study, we investigated whether acupuncture can attenuate cognitive impairment via inhibiting TXNIP-associated oxidative stress and inflammation in VD rats. Methods Both common carotid arteries were occluded (2-vessel occlusion [2VO]) in rats to model VD. The neuroprotective effect of acupuncture was assessed by the Morris water maze and Nissl staining. Oxidative stress was assessed by detecting levels of reactive oxygen species, DNA oxidation, and antioxidase. Western blot, real-time PCR, and immunofluorescence were used to detect the expression of TXNIP, NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1β. A TXNIP siRNA intraventricular injection was applied to investigate whether acupuncture mimicked the effect of TXNIP inhibitor. Results Our findings demonstrated that VD rats treated with acupuncture had reduced hippocampal neuronal loss and oxidative stress. The upregulation of TXNIP, NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1β induced by 2VO was also reversed by acupuncture. Furthermore, TXNIP siRNA had a similar effect as acupuncture on cognition, hippocampal neurons, and ROS production in VD rats. Conclusion In conclusion, our study suggests that the neuroprotective effects of acupuncture in VD are mediated through reducing expression of TXNIP-associated oxidative stress and inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Moxibustion prevented the development of detrusor overactivity in SCI rats. • Moxibustion attenuated the expression of M2 muscarinic receptor subtype in the bladder of SCI rats. • The M2 receptor antagonist methoctramine hemihydrate mimics moxibustion-induced improvement of urodynamic parameters and afferent nerve activity, and the muscarinic receptor agonist oxotremorine methiodide reverses the beneficial effect of moxibustion. • Moxibustion reduced the release of ATP and the expression of P2X3 in the M2 receptor-mediated micturition reflex pathway. Activation of muscarinic receptors located in bladder sensory pathways is generally considered to be the primary contributor for driving the pathogenesis of neurogenic detrusor overactivity following spinal cord injury. The present study is undertaken to examine whether moxibustion improves neurogenic detrusor overactivity via modulating the abnormal muscarinic receptor pathway. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to spinal cord injury with T9-10 spinal cord transection. Fourteen days later, animals were received moxibustion treatment for one week. Urodynamic parameters and pelvic afferents discharge were measured. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content in the voided cystometry fluid was determined. Expressions of M2, M3, and P2X3 receptors in the bladder mucosa were evaluated. Moxibustion treatment prevented the development of detrusor overactivity in spinal cord injury rats, with an increase in the intercontraction interval and micturition pressure threshold and a decrease in afferent activity during filling. The expression of M2 was markedly suppressed by moxibustion, accompanied by a reduction in the levels of ATP and P2X3. M2 receptor antagonist methoctramine hemihydrate had similar effects to moxibustion on bladder function and afferent activity, while the M2-preferential agonist oxotremorine methiodide abolished the beneficial effects of moxibustion. Moxibustion is a potential candidate for treating neurogenic bladder overactivity in a rat model of spinal cord injury, possibly through inhibiting the M2/ATP/P2X3 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) elicits inflammatory response, which contributes to the pathology of cognitive impairment. Several studies demonstrate that the alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) can be a key component to modulate the inflammatory responses. We have reported previously that acupuncture attenuated cognitive deficits induced by CCH. In present study, whether effect of acupuncture was related to α7nAChR mediated anti-inflammatory pathway in CCH rats was further explored. Acupuncture was performed in CCH rats induced by bilateral common carotid arteries occlusion. Neuronal injury, the activation of microglia, the release of inflammatory cytokines, the expression of α7nAChR, and the activation of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways were detected. Cognitive function and central inflammation were evaluated after the intraperitoneal injection of an α7nAChR agonist PNU282987, or intracerebroventricular injection of an α7nAChR antagonist α-bungarotoxin (α-BGT). We found that there were neuronal damage and inflammation, accompanied with the decreased expressions of α7nAChR in the hippocampus under CCH condition. Acupuncture inhibited neuronal damage, activation of microglia, and inflammatory cytokines. The expressions of α7nAChR, together with its downstream JAK2/STAT3 pathways were up regulated by acupuncture. PNU282987 mimicked the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects as well as the cognitive improvements of acupuncture. Meanwhile, the benefit effects of acupuncture above were blocked by α-BGT. It was demonstrated that acupuncture promoted cognitive function and afforded neuroprotective effects against inflammation via activation of α7nAChR and its downstream JAK2-STAT3 pathway in CCH rats. It provides a new insight for acupuncture as an anti-inflammatory intervention for cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]