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Electroacupuncture Pretreatment Ameliorates Anesthesia and Surgery-Induced Cognitive Dysfunction via Activation of an α7-nAChR Signal in Aged Rats
- Source :
- Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Informa UK Limited, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Objective Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) after anesthesia and surgery (AS) is a common complication in the elderly population. A cholinergic-dependent signal, the alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7-nAChR), has been suggested to regulate cognitive processes in a variety of neurologic diseases. In the current study, we determined whether electroacupuncture (EA) pretreatment ameliorates AS-induced POCD in aged rats, as well as the underlying mechanism. Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats (20 months old) were randomly assigned to the following 5 groups (n=12): vehicle; POCD (tibial fracture surgery); EA plus POCD; EA plus POCD and alpha-bungarotoxin (α-BGT); and POCD plus α-BGT groups. Alpha-bungarotoxin (1 μg/kg), a selective antagonist of α7-nAChR, was administrated via intraperitoneal injection before EA. Thirty days post-AS, the Morris water maze and a novel objective recognition test were used to evaluate cognitive function. Neuronal amount, apoptosis, microglial activation, percentage of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1)- and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)-positive microglia, and levels of HMGB-1 downstream factors, including NF-κB, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-1β, were detected by Nissl staining, immunofluorescence, and Western blot assays. Results EA pretreatment significantly increased crossing platform times and elevated the time with a novel object, restored the quantity of neurons, decreased TUNEL-positive neurons, alleviated activation of microglia, downregulated expression of HMGB1 and NF-κB in the microglia, and reduced levels of phosphor-NF-κB, IL-6, and IL-1β 35 days after AS, while α-BGT partially reversed these changes. Conclusion EA pretreatment improved AS-induced POCD in aged rats, and the underlying mechanism may be associated with inhibition of HMGB1–NF-κB via an α7-nAChR signal in the microglia.<br />Graphical Abstract
- Subjects :
- medicine.medical_specialty
Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment
high mobility group box 1
Electroacupuncture
medicine.medical_treatment
Intraperitoneal injection
microglia
Morris water navigation task
α7-nAChR
HMGB1
symbols.namesake
electroacupuncture
medicine
POCD
Original Research
EA
Microglia
biology
business.industry
postoperative cognitive dysfunction
α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
medicine.disease
Surgery
medicine.anatomical_structure
nervous system
Apoptosis
Anesthesia
Nissl body
symbols
biology.protein
business
Postoperative cognitive dysfunction
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 11782021
- Volume :
- 17
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....c0ece3839af75852a8323321a427699e