title: Electroacupunctre improves motor impairment via inhibition of microglia-mediated neuroinflammation in the sensorimotor cortex after ischemic stroke.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Electroacupuncture (EA) is one of the safety and effective therapies for improving neurological and sensorimotor impairment via blockade of inappropriate inflammatory responses. However, the mechanisms of anti-inflammation involved is far from been fully elucidated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Focal cerebral ischemic stroke was administered by the middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R) surgery. The MCAO/R rats were accepted EA treatment at the LI 11 and ST 36 acupoints for consecutive 3days. The neurological outcome, animal behaviors test and molecular biology assays were used to evaluate the MCAO/R model and therapeutic effect of EA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  EA treatment for MCAO rats showed a significant reduction in the infarct volumes accompanied by functional recovery in mNSS outcomes, motor function performances. The possible mechanisms that EA treatment attenuated the over-activation of Iba-1 and ED1 positive microglia in the peri-infract sensorimotor cortex. Simultaneously, both tissue and serum protein levels of the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were decreased by EA treatment in MCAO/R injured rats. The levels of inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) were decreased in the peri-infract sensorimotor cortex and blood serum of MCAO/R injured rats after EA treatment. Furthermore, we found that EA treatment prevented from the nucleus translocation of NF-κB p65 and suppressed the expression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) in the peri-infract sensorimotor cortex.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings from this study indicated that EA improved the motor impairment via inhibition of microglia-mediated neuroinflammation that invoked NF-κB p65, p38 MAPK and MyD88 produced proinflammatory cytokine in the peri-infract sensorimotor cortex of rats following ischemic stroke.
authors.affiliation: College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou 350122, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Weilin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: The Fujian Province Key Laboratory of Motor Functional Rehabilitation, Fuzhou 350001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital, Fuzhou 350001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Shanli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou 350122, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital, Fuzhou 350001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiehua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: The Fujian Province Key Laboratory of Motor Functional Rehabilitation, Fuzhou 350001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: The Fujian Province Key Laboratory of Motor Functional Rehabilitation, Fuzhou 350001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Guanhao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.affiliation: College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou 350122, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou 350122, P.R. China. Electronic address: cld@fjtcm.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Lidian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000473:pathology; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism*; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D017628:Microglia / Q000378:metabolism*; D000068079:Motor Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D053594:Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88 / Q000378:metabolism; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000378:metabolism; D066191:Sensorimotor Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D051996:Transcription Factor RelA / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D015850:Interleukin-6; D053594:Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88; D016328:NF-kappa B; D051996:Transcription Factor RelA; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
keywords: Electroacupuncture; Ischemic stroke; Microglia; Motor impairment; Neuroinflammation