title: Manual acupuncture at the SJ5 (Waiguan) acupoint shows neuroprotective effects by regulating expression of the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2.
abstract: Acupuncture at the SJ5 (Waiguan) acupoint has neuroprotective effects in cerebral infarction, but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we analyzed gene expression in healthy rat cerebellum using a pathway-focused DNA microarray to screen 113 genes associated with 18 signal transduction pathways. After 20 minutes of acupuncture at SJ5, the expression of Bcl-2 and Birc1b mRNA was markedly increased. This was confirmed by real-time reverse transcription PCR. Furthermore, western blot analysis showed that Bcl-2 protein expression remained high in the cerebellum until at least 2 hours after cessation of acupuncture. These findings indicate that acupuncture at SJ5 exerts neuroprotective effects by regulating the expression of anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2.
authors.affiliation: College of Acupuncture, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: College of Acupuncture, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Li-Li
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sutherland
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Chuan-Hai
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5765-6401
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Cao
keywords: Bcl-2; SJ5; acupuncture; apoptosis; cerebellum; nerve regeneration; neural regeneration; neuroprotection; signal transduction