title: Electroacupuncture at the Quchi and Zusanli acupoints exerts neuroprotective             role in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injured rats via activation of the PI3K/Akt             pathway.
abstract: The PI3K/Akt pathway, a critical mediator of cell survival, is suppressed             in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury; therefore, it is a major focus             in treatment of ischemic stroke. Acupuncture has long been used in China to clinically             treat stroke. However, the precise mechanism of its neuroprotective activities             remains largely unknown. Using a focal cerebral I/R injured rat model, in the             present study we evaluated the in vivo therapeutic efficacy of electroacupuncture             and investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms. We found that electroacupuncture             at Quchi (LI11) and Zusanli (ST36) acupoints on the contralateral paralyzed limb             significantly improved neurological deficits and cerebral infarction. In addition,             electroacupuncture profoundly activated PI3K/Akt signaling in ischemic cerebral             tissues. Consequently, the upregulatory effect of electroacupuncture on PI3K/Akt             activation resulted in the inhibition of cerebral cell apoptosis. Moreover, electroacupuncture             increased the serum secretion levels of the PI3K activators BDNF and GDNF, as             well as upregulated the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2/Bax ratio in ischemic cerebrum. Our             data suggest that electroacupuncture at Quchi and Zusanli acupoints exerts neuroprotective             function in ischemic stroke via activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway.
authors: College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Minhou Shangjie, Fuzhou, Fujian 350122, PR China.
authors: Azhen
authors: A
authors: Chen
authors: Zhicheng
authors: Z
authors: Lin
authors: Lan
authors: L
authors: Lan
authors: Guanli
authors: G
authors: Xie
authors: Jia
authors: J
authors: Huang
authors: Jiumao
authors: J
authors: Lin
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Peng
authors: Jing
authors: J
authors: Tao
authors: Lidian
authors: L
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D015671:Electroacupuncture / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt