Electroacupuncture attenuates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by regulating oxidative stress, neuronal death and neuroinflammation via stimulation of PPAR-γ.

Background: Oxidative stress and inflammatory responses play essential roles in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Electroacupuncture (EA) is widely used as a rehabilitation method for stroke in China; however, the underlying mechanism of action remains unclear. Peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) has been reported to impact anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects. Objective: This study investigated the role of PPAR-γ in EA-mediated effects and aimed to illuminate its possible mechanisms in cerebral I/R. Methods: In this study, male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) injury were treated with EA at LI11 and ST36 for 30 min daily after MCAO/R for seven consecutive days. The neuroprotective effects of EA were measured by neurobehavioral evaluation, triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining, hematoxylin–eosin staining and transmission electron microscopy. Oxidative stress, inflammatory factors, neural apoptosis and microglial activation were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunofluorescence and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Western blotting was used to assess PPAR-γ-mediated signaling. Results: We found that EA significantly alleviated cerebral I/R-induced infarct volume, decreased neurological scores and inhibited I/R-induced oxidative stress, inflammatory responses and microglial activation. EA also increased PPAR-γ protein expression. Furthermore, the protective effects of EA were reversed by injection of the PPAR-γ antagonist T0070907. Conclusion: EA attenuates cerebral I/R injury by regulating oxidative stress, neuronal death and neuroinflammation via stimulation of PPAR-γ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]