Electroacupuncture Attenuates Neuroinflammation and Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction in Aged Rats by Suppressing...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Immunology
• Integrative and Complementary Medicine

Background:

• Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a significant complication in elderly patients, often linked to surgery-induced neuroinflammation.
• The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) pathway is a key regulator of innate immunity and has been implicated in neuroinflammation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if electroacupuncture (EA) can improve POCD in aged rats by modulating the hippocampal cGAS-STING pathway.
• To assess the impact of EA on neuroinflammation and cognitive function in a rat model of POCD.

Main Methods:

• An aged rat model of POCD was established using sevoflurane anesthesia and splenectomy.
• Cognitive function was assessed using the Morris water maze test.
• Hippocampal expression and localization of cGAS-STING pathway components (cGAS, STING, IRF3, NF-κB, IL-1β) were analyzed via Western blot and immunofluorescence.

Main Results:

• POCD rats exhibited significant spatial memory impairments and increased hippocampal expression of cGAS, STING, NF-κB, IRF3, and IL-1β.
• cGAS and STING proteins were found to be co-localized with neurons in the hippocampus.
• EA treatment partially reversed these cognitive deficits and molecular changes, an effect mirrored by cGAS inhibition.

Conclusions:

• Electroacupuncture effectively alleviates POCD in aged rats.
• The mechanism involves the inhibition of hippocampal cGAS-STING pathway activation and subsequent reduction in neuroinflammation.
• EA presents a potential non-pharmacological therapeutic strategy for managing POCD.