Electroacupuncture promotes axonal regrowth by attenuating the myelin-associated inhibitors-induced RhoA/ROCK pathway in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion rats.

This study explored whether EA can improve the inhibitory microenvironment, attenuate RhoA/ROCK-mediated neurite regrowth inhibitory pathways, andpromote the expression of neuroplasticity proteins, thus exerting a protective role in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Rats were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 2 h followed by 7 days of reperfusion, and they received EA or fasudil once daily for 7 days. The Garcia JH score, 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to assess neural injury. The protein and mRNA levels of myelin-associated inhibitors (MAIs), RhoA/ROCK pathway-related molecules and neuroplasticity-related proteins were examined to explore the effect of EA on rats with cerebral I/R injury. We found that EA significantly decreased the infarct size and improved neurological function and hippocampal ultrastructure in the rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. EA ameliorates the inhibition of axonal regrowth and provides a protective role in functional rehabilitation after cerebral stroke by downregulating the MAI-induced RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway and by promoting the expression of GAP43 and BDNF to protect against cerebral I/R injury. Our findings provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying EA as an effective therapy for ischemic stroke. PMID: 32853644 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Brain Research - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Brain Res Source Type: research