title: Electroacupuncture brain protection during ischemic stroke: A role for the parasympathetic nervous system.
abstract: The demand for using parasympathetic activation for stroke therapy is unmet. In the current study, we investigated whether the neuroprotection provided by electroacupuncture (EA) in an experimental stroke model was associated with activation of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The results showed that parasympathetic dysfunction (PD), performed as unilateral vagotomy combined with peripheral atropine, attenuated both the functional benefits of EA and its effects in improving cerebral perfusion, reducing infarct volume, and hindering apoptosis, neuronal and peripheral inflammation, and oxidative stress. Most importantly, EA rats showed a dramatically less reduction in the mRNA level of choline acetyltransferase, five subtypes of muscarinic receptors and α7nAChR, suggesting the inhibition of the impairment of the central cholinergic system; EA also activated dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, the largest source of parasympathetic pre-ganglionic neurons in the lower brainstem (detected by c-fos immunohistochemistry), and PD suppressed these changes. These findings indicated EA may serve as an alternative modality of PNS activation for stroke therapy.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Anesthesiology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.|2 Heilongjiang Province Key Lab of Research on Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Laiting
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Anesthesiology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.|2 Heilongjiang Province Key Lab of Research on Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Kairong
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Anesthesiology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.|2 Heilongjiang Province Key Lab of Research on Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Dongdong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Anesthesiology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.|2 Heilongjiang Province Key Lab of Research on Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Yulong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bo
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Anesthesiology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.|2 Heilongjiang Province Key Lab of Research on Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Wenzhi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001285:Atropine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D008297:Male; D000066829:Neuroprotection; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010276:Parasympatholytics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D014628:Vagotomy
chemical_list: D010276:Parasympatholytics; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic; D001285:Atropine; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase
keywords: Cerebral ischemia; cholinergic; electroacupuncture; muscarinic; parasympathetic nervous system