Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neuro-degenerative disease that is common in middle-aged and elderly people, and its incidence is increasing year by year. Studies have shown that pathological products produced by a series of pathological cascade reactions in the enteric nervous system (ENS) of PD patients travel to the brain through the vagus nerve pathway in the microbial-gut-brain axis, and ultimately lead to the occurrence and development of PD. Acupuncture plays an important role in interfering with pathological products of ENS, restoring ecological balance of intestine and delaying PD process. In this paper, the effects of acupuncture on intestinal flora, production of related microbial products, α-synuclein, neuroinflammatory response and oxidative stress in patients or animal model with PD were reviewed.
Objectives: To investigate whether electroacupuncture (EA) at "Yanglingquan" (GV34) and "Xuanzhong" (GB34) can alleviate anxio-depression-like behaviors induced by neuropathic pain and whether the effect of EA is in connection with the activity of glutamatergic neurons in the ventrolateral orbital cortex (VLO).
Methods: The neuropathic pain model was established by common peroneal nerve ligation (CPNL). GV34 and GB34 were selected in EA treatment (2 Hz/15 Hz, 1 mA), 15 min each time, once a day for 7 d. Chemogenetic mixture viruses rAAV-VGLUT1-CRE-WPREs and rAAV-Ef1a-DIO-hM3Dq-mCherry-WPREs or rAAV-Ef1a-DIO-hM4Di-mCherry-WPREs were injected into the VLO, respectively. Clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) was injected intraperitoneally to regulate the activity of glutamatergic neurons in the VLO precisely. Mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and paw withdrawal latency (PWL) were measured by dynamic plantar tactile instruments and plantar thermal nociceptor instruments. Anxio-depression-like behaviors were measured by behavioral tests, including open field test, elevated plus maze test, forced swimming test, and tail suspension test. The activation and inhibition levels of neurons were observed by immunofluorescence staining.
Results: Compared with the sham group, the MWT and PWL of CPNL mice were significantly decreased (P<0.001) on the 3rd day after surgery and lasted until the 28th day. After CPNL, the activity time spent in the central area of open field test reduced (P<0.001), the percentage of entries and activity time in the open arm of elevated plus maze test were significantly reduced (P<0.001, P<0.05); the immobile duration of forced swimming test and tail suspension test were remarkably prolonged (P<0.01, P<0.05) of mice in the CPNL group. However, after EA treatment, compared with the CPNL group, the anxio-depression-like behaviors of the mice were alleviated (P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.001). Activating glutamatergic neurons of VLO produced an anti-anxio-depression effect (P<0.05, P<0.01) in neuropathic pain mice. Compared with the inhibited+EA+saline group, inhibiting glutamatergic neurons of VLO reversed (P<0.001, P<0.01, P<0.05) the effect of EA.
Conclusions: EA at GV34 and GB34 can alleviate anxio-depression-like behaviors induced by neuropathic pain through the modulation of glutamatergic neuron activity in the VLO.
Objectives: To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture in treatment of oculomotor nerve palsy guided by Biaoben Genjie theory (focusing on the distribution, connection and gathering of meridian qi in the body).
Methods: A total of 62 patients with oculomotor nerve palsy were selected according to inclusion criteria of the trial. They were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, with 31 cases in each group. The conventional treatment with Western medicine was used in the two groups. Besides, in the control group, the regular acupuncture was provided, and in the observation group, acupuncture was delivered under the guidance of Biaoben Genjie theory. In the 2 groups, the treatment was given once daily, for 30 min each time and one course of treatment was composed of 6 d. Six courses were required with the interval of 1 d between two courses. The degree of diplopia, the degree of strabismus and the score of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) main symptoms were recorded before and after the treatment of the 2 groups separately, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated in each group.
Results: The degrees of diplopia and strabismus decreased significantly (P<0.05) compared with those before treatment in the 2 groups, and the degrees in the observation group were lower (P<0.05) than those of the control group. The TCM main symptoms score of both groups were reduced significantly (P<0.05) compared with those before treatment, and the score in the observation group was lower (P<0.05) than that of the control group. The effective rate was 93.55% (29/31) in the observation group, better (P<0.05) than that (83.87%, 26/31) of the control group.
Conclusions: Acupuncture based on Biaoben Genjie theory can effectively relieve the ocular symptoms of the affected eyes in the patients with oculomotor nerve palsy, and the effect is better when compared with the regular acupuncture.
Objectives: To investigate the effect and mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Siguan" acupoints (bilateral Hegu [LI4] and bilateral Taichong [LR3]) in ameliorating facial nerve injury-induced anxiety-like behavior in mice.
Methods: Thirty male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into control, model (unilateral facial nerve injury), and EA groups, with 10 mice in each group. The facial nerve injury model was established by lightly clamping the isolated facial nerve for about 30 s, twice altogether after operation. The mice of the EA group were subjected to EA stimulation (2 Hz, 0.5 mA) of bilateral LI4 and bilateral LR3 for 30 min, once per day for consecutive 7 d. The anxiety-like behavior of mice was evaluated by light-dark chamber (LDC) and elevated plus maze (EPM) tests after EA intervention. The calcium activity of glutamatergic neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was analyzed by fiber photometry. The intrinsic excitability level of ACC glutamatergic neurons was estimated by using whole-cell patch clamp recording.
Results: Compared with the control group, the dwell time in the light chamber and the number of entries into the light chamber of LDC tests, and the dwell time in the open arms and the number of entries into the open arms of the EPM tests were significantly decreased in the model group (P<0.01). In comparison with the model group, the dwell time in the light chamber and the number of entries into the light chamber, and the dwell time in the open arms and the number of entries into the open arms were significantly increased in the EA group (P<0.01, P<0.05). Results of fiber photometry showed a decreased activity of ACC glutamatergic neurons when the mice moved from the closed arm to the open arm in an EPM, a decrease of input resistance and the number of discharge spikes induced by 300 pA current injection in the model group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the excitability of the glutamatergic neurons, input resistance and the number of discharge spikes (induced by 300 pA current injection) were considerably increased in the EA group (P<0.05).
Conclusions: EA of "Siguan" acupoints alleviates the facial nerve injury-induced anxiety-like behavior, probably by decreasing the excitability of glutamatergic neurons in the ACC.
Based on the growth factor theory, external inhibition theory, and neuronal intrinsic theory, we, in this paper, summed up the potential mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) by promoting the axonal regeneration in recent years. Acupuncture can promote the repairment of SCI by (1) regulating the expressions of spinal cord growth factors (such as nerve growth factor, brain derived neurotrophic factor, neurotrophin-3, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, ciliary neurotrophic factor, insulin-like growth factor, etc.) to support neuronal survival and axon growth; (2) inhibiting the expression of spinal cord myelin growth inhibitor Nogo protein and oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein (OMgp), requlating axon guide molecules Sema3A and Wnt family, etc., and inhibiting the formation of astryocyte scar to create a favorable local microenvironment for axon regeneration; and (3) regulating spinal phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, down-regulating Ras homolog gene family member A (RhoA) / Rho-associated protein kinase II (ROCK II) signaling, up-regulating mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPK)/ extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling, cAMP/ protein kinase A (PKA) signaling, etc.. In addition, we also found that by modulating axon regeneration, acupuncture therapy can not only effectively restore motor function in SCI patients, but also improve neurogenic bladder symptoms.
The establishment of the "Acupuncture Scientific Research Alliance" aims to realize the collaborative innovation of scientific research, clinical transformation and equipment development through multidisciplinary cooperation. In the future, the research will focus on the modern interpretation of acupuncture and moxibustion theory, the systematic analysis of acupoint association atlas and functions, the exploration of systematic biological laws of acupuncture-moxibustion regulation, the quantitative study of key variables of acupuncture-moxibustion effects, the mutual transformation of achievements of clinical research and experimental research, the transformation of basic science research and diagnosis-treatment equipment of acupuncture-moxibustion related external treatment methods, etc., so as to form a linkage mechanism of talents, platforms and technologies.
The meridian theory refers to the understanding of the physiological functions of the human body and the pathological changes of zangfu organs, as well as the different specific represenatation phenomena under the pathological conditions and their interrelationship with the body surface representation and the meridian points. It is of great scientific significance to explore the development of acupuncture based on the meridian theory. This article summarizes the different specific representation phenomena of gastrointestinal diseases on the body surface and the rules. It proposes that the inflammatory responses in zangfu organs may trigger the sensory regeneration and remodeling. These signals travel from the dorsal root ganglia to the brain and spinal cord, and then affect the local immunity, blood vessel function and other aspects at acupuncture locations through sympathetic outflow. It is anticipated that the above summary may provide the further insights for the interconnections between the meridian system and zangfu diseases, the regulatory pathways, and the biological mechanisms .
The clinical efficacy of acupuncture analgesia is definite, but its mechanisms of the central nervous system have not yet been fully elucidated. The virus vector technique provides an effective means for the study of the central nervous system mechanism of acupuncture analgesia. We, in this article, briefly introduced the classification and characteristics of virus vectors, reviewed and analyzed their application and their functional components carried by and optical/chemical genetics technologies they carry in pain and acupuncture analgesia research in recent years. At present, in the research on the central mechanism of acupuncture analgesia, the viral vectors combined with chemical genetics technology is mainly used to explore the neural circuit mechanisms such as rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC)→ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (rACC→vlPAG), rACC→thalamus (rACC→Th) and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray→hippocampus (vlPAG→HPC). The viral vectors combined with optogenetics technology is mainly used to explore the neural circuits from the prefrontal infralimbic cortex to the nucleus accumbens (IL→NAc). The viral vectors and optical/chemical genetics technology can not only target and accurately mark the specific neurons or neural circuits, but also dynamically and real-time monitor the function of neural networks, bringing new experimental means and breakthroughs for the research of acupuncture analgesia mechanism of the brain circuits.
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