Electroacupuncture alleviated the depression-like behavior by regulating FGF2 and astrocytes in the hippocampus of rats with chronic unpredictable mild stress.

Electroacupuncture alleviated the depression-like behavior by regulating FGF2 and astrocytes in the hippocampus of rats with chronic unpredictable mild stress. Brain Res Bull. 2021 Jan 09;: Authors: Yao Z, Zhang Z, Zhang J, Cai X, Zhong Z, Huang Y, Qu S Abstract Studies have shown that basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) is a neurotrophic factor associated with depression. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been shown to be an effective treatment for depression. In the current study, we observed the effects of EA on hippocampal FGF2 and astrocytes, and further investigated the mechanism underlying antidepressant effect of EA. The Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) method were selected to induce depressive-like behaviors of rats. Paroxetine is a commonly used antidepressant and was used as a positive control drug in this experiment. The male adult Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomized to four experimental groups (normal control group, CUMS group, EA group and paroxetine group, n = 10/group). EA intervention was administered once daily for 14 days at acupuncture points Baihui (GV20) and Yintang (GV29). In the paroxetine group received daily paroxetine administered intragastrical. Behavioral test, Immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blot (WB) and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) were conducted to evaluate the intervene effect and the changes of FGF2 and astrocyte marker (glial fibrillary acidic protein, GFAP).in EA and paroxeti...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: research