title: [Effects of Electroacupuncture Intervention on Oxygen Free Radicals and Expression of Apoptosis-related Proteins in Rats with Ischemic Learning and Memory Disorder].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) therapy on levels of oxygen free radicals (OFR) and hippocampal apoptosis-related protein expression in ischemic learning-memory disorder rats so as to investigate its mechanisms underlying improvement of ischemic learning-memory impairment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 60 SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation (sham), model, medication, and EA groups, with 15 rats in each group. The learning-memory disorder model was made by occlusion of bilateral carotid arteries. EA (2- 3 Hz, 2 mA) was applied to "Zhi San Zhen" ["Shenting" (GV 24) and bilateral "Benshen" (GB 13)] for 30 min, once a day for 3 weeks. The rats of the medication group were treated by lavage of Aricept (0.03 mg . kg(-1) . d(-1)), once daily for 3 weeks. The rats' learning-memory ability was detected by Morris water maze tests and the state of hippocampal apoptosis cells was observed by light microscope after TUNEL staining and the expression of hippocampal Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3 proteins was detected by immunohistochemistry. Serum and hippocampal superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were detected by chemical colorimetric analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the sham group, the escape latencies (place-navigation) after modeling were evidently prolonged, and the times of target-platform crossing in 90 sec (spatial probe test) considerably reduced in the model group (P<0.01), suggesting an impairment of learning-memory ability. After the treatment for 21 d, the increased escape latency and the reduced target-platform crossing time in both EA and medication groups were reversed in comparison with the model group (P<0.01), suggesting an improvement of memory ability, and the effect of the EA group was significantly superior to that of the medication group (P<0.05). Compared with the sham group, the number of apoptotic cells in hippocampal CA 1- CA 3 regions, and the expression levels of hippocampal Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3 proteins, and serum and hippocampal MDA contents were significantly increased in the model group (P<0.01), while serum and hippocampal SOD and GSH-Px levels obviously decreased in the model group (P<0.01). After the treatment for 21 days, compared to the model group, the number of the apoptotic cells, the expression levels of hippocampal Bax and Caspase--3 proteins, and the contents of serum and hippocampal MDA were notably decreased in the EA and medication groups (P<0.01), whereas, Bcl-2 protein expression levels, and serum and hippocampal SOD and GSH-Px activity were notably up-regulated in the EA and medication groups (P<0.01). The effects of EA group were obviously superior to those of medication group in increasing hippocampal Bcl-2 immunoactivity, serum SOD and GSH-Px and hippocampal GSH-Px activity and in down-regulating serum MDA level (P<0.01, P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Electroacupuncture intervention can improve learning-memory ability in ischemic learning-memory disorder rats which may be associated with its effects in reducing blood and hippocampal OFR contents and hippocampal cellular apoptosis.
authors.forename: Zhi-tao
authors.initials: ZT
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Zhong-ren
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Song-tao
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Sheng-biao
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Yi-tian
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiao-xia
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Hong-fang
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Yu-sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Hong-na
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Jin-qiao
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Dong-dong
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000818:Animals; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D007858:Learning; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D008568:Memory; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase