title: Electro-acupuncture up-regulates astrocytic MCT1 expression to improve neurological deficit in middle cerebral artery occlusion rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cerebral ischemia is one of the common diseases treated by electro-acupuncture (EA). Although the clinical efficacy has been widely affirmed, the mechanisms of action leading to the health benefits are not understood. In this study, the role of EA in modulating the lactate energy metabolism and lactate transportation was explored on the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) ischemic rat model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Repeated EA treatments once daily for 7 days were applied to the MCAO rats and neurological function evaluation was performed. Brain tissues were harvested for lactate concentration examination, immunohistochemical staining, Western blot and qRT-PCR analyses for the expressions of lactate transporter (monocarboxylate transporter 1, MCT1) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The animal behavioral tests showed that the 7-day EA treatments significantly promoted the recovery of neurological deficits in the MCAO rats, which correlated with the enhanced lactate energy metabolism in the ischemic brain. In the cortical ischemic area of the MCAO rats, EA treatments led to the activation of astrocytes, and induced a further increase of lactate transporter (monocarboxylate transporter 1, MCT1) expression in astrocytes at both protein and mRNA levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that the EA treatments activated lactate metabolism in the resident astrocytes around the ischemic area and up-regulated the expression of MCT1 in these astrocytes which facilitated the transfer of intracellular lactate to extracellular domain to be utilized by injured neurons to improve the neurological deficit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Acupuncturology, College of Acumox and Tuina, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250355, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Acupuncturology, College of Acumox and Tuina, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250355, China.
authors.forename: Haijun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Acupuncturology, College of Acumox and Tuina, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250355, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Acupuncturology, College of Acumox and Tuina, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250355, China.
authors.forename: Bingbing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250355, China.
authors.forename: Tong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: (Department of Systems Medicine & Bioengineering, Houston Methodist Research) Institute, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Houston, TX 77030, United States.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: (Department of Systems Medicine & Bioengineering, Houston Methodist Research) Institute, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Houston, TX 77030, United States.
authors.forename: Kemi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Acupuncturology, College of Acumox and Tuina, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250355, China. Electronic address: feichanglulu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Shijun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D001693:Biological Transport, Active; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D027501:Monocarboxylic Acid Transporters / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020521:Stroke / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D027981:Symporters / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015854:Up-Regulation; D000099233:Monocarboxylate Transport Protein 1
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D019344:Lactic Acid; D027501:Monocarboxylic Acid Transporters; D027981:Symporters; D000099233:Monocarboxylate Transport Protein 1
keywords: Astrocyte; Electro-acupuncture (EA); Focal cerebral ischemia; Lactate metabolism; Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO); Monocarboxylate transporter (MCT)