title: Hippocampal cAMP/PKA/CREB is required for neuroprotective effect of acupuncture.
abstract: Acupuncture has beneficial effects in vascular dementia (VaD) patients. The underlying mechanism, however, remains unknown. The present study was designed to investigate whether the cAMP/PKA/CREB cascade is involved in the mechanism of acupuncture in cerebral multi-infarction rats. In this study, cerebral multi-infarction was modeled in adult Wistar rats by homologous blood clot emboli. After a two-week acupuncture treatment at Zusanli (ST36), hippocampal-dependent memory was tested by employing a radial arm maze test. The hippocampus was isolated for analyses of cAMP concentration, phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity and CREB/pCREB and ERK/pERK expressions. The Morris water maze (MWM) task and CREB phosphorylation were evaluated in the presence of PKA-selective peptide inhibitor (H89). The radial arm maze test results demonstrated that acupuncture treatment at ST36 reversed hippocampal-dependent memory in impaired animals. Compared to those of the impaired group, cAMP concentration, PKA activity and pCREB and pERK expressions were increased following acupuncture therapy. Finally, the blockade of PKA reversed the increase in CREB phosphorylation and the improvement in recognitive function induced by acupuncture treatment. These results suggest that acupuncture could improve hippocampus function by modulating the cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling pathway, which represents a molecular mechanism of acupuncture for recognitive function in cerebral multi-infarction rats.
authors.affiliation: Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China.
authors.forename: Qian-Qian
authors.initials: QQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China.
authors.forename: Guang-Xia
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China.
authors.forename: Jing-Wen
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China.
authors.forename: Zhao-Xin
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China.
authors.forename: Zhen-Hua
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China.
authors.forename: Tian
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China.
authors.forename: Li-Ying
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China. Electronic address: lcz623780@126.com.
authors.forename: Cun-Zhi
authors.initials: CZ
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases
keywords: Acupuncture; Cognitive function; Neuroprotective effect; Stroke; cAMP/PKA/CREB