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[Effects of electroacupuncture on postoperative cognitive dysfunction and AngⅡ/AT1R in the hippocampus in aging rats
Peipei Feng1, Zhe Liu2, Xin Wang3
1the Third Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.
Objective:
To observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) and AngⅡ/AT1R in the hippocampus in D-galactose-induced aging rats which received hepalobectomy, and to explore the possible mechanism of EA on POCD.
Methods:
Eighty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a young control group (10 rats), a D-Galactose-induced aged (Da) group (10 rats), a Da+hepatolobectomy group (30 rats) and an EA group (30 rats). The rats in the Da+hepatolobectomy group and EA group were further randomly divided into a 1 d subgroup, 3 d subgroup and a 7 d subgroup, 10 rats in each subgroup. The rats in the EA group were treated with EA at "Baihui" (GV 20) and "Dazhui" (GV 14) with continuous wave (15 Hz in frequency and 1 mA in intensity), and rats in each subgroup were treated for 1 d, 3 d and 7 d, respectively. The rats in the remaining groups were treated with immobilization, once a day. The Y-maze was used to observe the behavior change of rats, and ELISA was applied to measure the level of hippocampal AngⅡ, and RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry method were performed to detect AT1R mRNA expressions and AT1R positive expression in the hippocampus.
Results:
The number of rat initiative avoidance in the Da group was significantly less than that in the young control group (P<0.05), and the mRNA expression and positive percentage of AT1R in the hippocampus in the Da group were significantly higher than those in the young control group (both P<0.01). Compared with the Da group, the number of rat initiative avoidance in each subgroup of Da+hepatolobectomy group and EA group were significantly reduced (all P<0.01), and the expression of AngⅡ, AT1R mRNA and AT1R positive cells percentage in the hippocampus were significantly increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). The number of rat initiative avoidance in each subgroup of EA group was higher than that in the subgroup of Da+hepatolobectomy group (P<0.05, P<0.01); and the expression of AngⅡ, AT1R mRNA, and AT1R positive percentage in the EA group were significantly less than that in the Da+hepatolobectomy group (P<0.05, P<0.01).
Conclusions:
EA at "Baihui" (GV 20) and "Dazhui" (GV 14) could improve POCD in D-galactose-induced aging rats which received hepalobectomy, and it is likely to be related with the inhibition of AngⅡ, AT1R positive expression and AT1R mRNA in the hippocampus.
