Ginger pharmacopuncture improves cognitive impairment and oxidative stress following cerebral ischemia

Recent findings have demonstrated that acupuncture and ginger can each improve memory impairment following cerebral ischemia. We hypothesized that ginger pharmacopuncture, a combination of these two treatments, could increase the beneficial effects. Due to the limitation of supporting evidence, we aimed to determine whether ginger pharmacopuncture could improve cognitive function and oxidative stress following cerebral ischemia. Male Wistar rats were induced by right middle cerebral artery occlusion (Rt. MCAO) and subjected to either acupuncture or ginger pharmacopuncture once daily over a period of 14 days after Rt. MCAO. Cognitive function was determined every 7 days, using escape latency and retention time as indices, and the oxidative stress status of the rats was determined at the end of the study. Rats subjected either to acupuncture or to ginger pharmacopuncture at GV20 demonstrated enhanced spatial memory, and the activities of catalase and glutathione peroxidase in both cerebral cortex and hippocampus were improved. Elevation of superoxide dismutase activity was observed only in the hippocampus. Cognitive enhancement was observed sooner with ginger pharmacopuncture than with acupuncture. The cognitive enhancing effect of acupuncture and ginger pharmacopuncture is likely to be at least partially attributable to decreased oxidative stress. However, other mechanisms may also be involved, and this requires further study.