Electroacupuncture inhibits hippocampal oxidative stress and autophagy in sleep-deprived rats through the protein kinase B and mechanistic target of rapamycin signaling pathway.

Objective: To investigate the effects of acupuncture on learning and memory impairment, oxidative stress and autophagy induced by sleep depriv ation in rats, and to analyze the related mechanism.

Methods: Thirty Wistar rats were randomly divided into a normal group, sleep deprivation group and acupuncture group. The rat model of sleep deprivation was established by a modified multiplatform sleep deprivation method. The Baihui (GV20), Shenmen (HT7) and Sanyinjiao (SP6) acupoints of rats were located to give electroacupuncture (density wave, frequency 20 Hz, intensity 1 mA) to maintain the needle feeling, and to keep the needle for 15 min and continuous acupuncture for 7 d. The spatial learning and memory abilities of the rats were detected by the water maze test. The content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in the brain were detected by an assay kit, and the autophagy related proteins light chain 3 alpha (LC3A), light chain 3 beta (LC3B) and Beclin 1 and the activation of the protein kinase B (PKB/AKT) and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in the rat's brain were detected by Western blotting.

Results: Compared with the normal group, the time spent in the target quadrant (P < 0.05) and the number of times entering the target quadrant (P < 0.05) in the rats of sleep deprivation group were significantly reduced, and the content of MDA was significantly increased (P < 0.01), while the activities of SOD and GPX (P < 0.01) in the brain were significantly decreased, and LC3A Ⅱ/Ⅰ, LC3B Ⅱ/Ⅰ and Beclin 1 increased significantly (P < 0.01), while p-AKT (ser473)/AKT, p-mTOR (ser2448)/mTOR and p-p70s6K (thr389)/p70S6 decreased significantly (P < 0.01). Compared with the sleep deprivation group, the time spent in the target quadrant and the times of entering the target quadrant (P < 0.05) in the rats of acupuncture group after 7 d of treatment were significantly increased, Additionally, the content of MDA was significantly decreased (P < 0.05), while the activities of SOD and GPX (P < 0.05) in the brain were significantly increased. Moreover, the levels of LC3A Ⅱ/Ⅰ, LC3BⅡ/Ⅰ and Beclin 1 decreased significantly (P < 0.05), and that of p-AKT (ser473)/AKT, p-mTOR (ser2448)/mTOR and p-p70s6K (thr389)/p70s6k increased significantly (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Acupuncture can significantly improve the learning and memory damage caused by sleep deprivation and inhibit oxidative stress and autophagy, and its effect is related to the activation of AKT/mTOR signaling.