title: Acupuncture reduced apoptosis and up-regulated BDNF and GDNF expression in hippocampus following hypoxia-ischemia in neonatal rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acupuncture attenuates neuronal damages following ischemia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the present study was to investigate the beneficial effects of acupuncture on hypoxia-ischemia induced brain damages in neonatal rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male postnatal 7 days rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham control (sham), hypoxia-ischemia (HI), and HI plus acupuncture treatment (HI+Acu). The rats in HI and HI+Acu groups were submitted to model of neonatal HI, established by occluding the left common carotid artery followed by a 3.5h period of hypoxia (8% O2-92% N2). At 24h after HI, animals were stimulated by acupuncture treatment once a day and the treatment continued during 4 weeks, 5days/week. Behavioral functions, learning and memory ability, and body weight were observed at different time-points after HI. DNA fragmentation assay were performed with TUNEL staining to evaluate apoptosis and expression levels of mitochondrial Bcl-2, mitochondrial Bax, Cleaved caspase 3, Cleaved caspase 9 in the damaged hippocampus were detected by western blotting 28 days following HI. GDNF, BDNF levels in hippocampus were also determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that acupuncture significantly promoted growth and development, improved neurobehavioral function, learning and memory ability after 20 days' treatment. Furthermore, we obtained one interesting finding that acupuncture attenuated cellular apoptosis and up-regulated GDNF and BDNF levels in hippocampus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All of these results suggest that acupuncture as a potential treatment may exert neuroprotective effects via inhibiting cellular apoptosis, increased GDNF and BDNF expression levels in rat hippocampus experiencing HI.
authors.affiliation: Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation Department, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan 450000, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Encephalopathy Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Henan 450000, China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.affiliation: Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation Department, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan 450000, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation Department, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan 450000, China.
authors.forename: Xiang-Yun
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation Department, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan 450000, China.
authors.forename: Deng-Na
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Encephalopathy Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Henan 450000, China.
authors.forename: Yun-Zhi
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Encephalopathy Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Henan 450000, China.
authors.forename: Ji-Tao
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation Center, NanHai Maternitiy and Child Healthcare Hospital, Foshan 528200, China. Electronic address: george005270@163.com.
authors.forename: Zhen-Huan
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017209:Apoptosis; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001835:Body Weight; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D056547:CA1 Region, Hippocampal / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism*; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D007511:Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
keywords: Acupuncture; Apoptosis; GDNF/BDNF; Neonatal hypoxia–ischemia