Effect of Electroacupuncture on Relieving Central Post-Stroke Pain by Inhibiting Autophagy in the Hippocampus.

CONCLUSION: EA may inhibit autophagy in the hippocampus by reducing β-catenin/COX-2 protein expression and effectively alleviating CPSP.
SIGNIFICANCE: Statement Previous studies have found that EA can reduce the expression of NK-1R in damaged rats by inhibition of COX-2 and β-catenin loops, which controls the activation of glial cells in the damaged area and the apoptosis of neuronal cells, and alleviated pain. In the male SD rat model, we evaluated this effect that EA inhibits autophagy in the hippocampus by reducing β-catenin/COX-2 protein expression in the brain tissue. In addition, we assessed expression levels of autophagy-related proteins and genes on the inflammatory primary brain cells model. From the experiment, we found EA may inhibit autophagy in the hippocampus by reducing β-catenin/COX-2 protein expression. These findings provide a foundation for the interpretation of the mechanism of EA on relieving CPSP in clinical practice.
PMID: 31987731 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Brain Research - January 23, 2020 Category: Neurology Authors: Zheng L, Li XY, Huang FZ, Zhang XT, Tang HB, Li YS, Kevin Zhang W, Li XJ, Tian GH Tags: Brain Res Source Type: research