基于PI3K/Akt信号通路探讨"嗅三针"电针疗法对血管性认知障碍大鼠海马神经元的影响OA

Objective To explore the specific mechanism of action of the"olfactory three needle"electroacupuncture therapy on neuronal apoptosis in hippocampal region of vascular cognitive impairment(VCI)rats based on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.Methods 8 SD rats were randomly selected from 40 SD rats as the sham surgery group,while the remaining rats underwent permanent ligation to establish the VCI model.After the modeling,rats were randomly distributed into a model group,a Western medicine treatment group,an inhibitor group,and an electroacupuncture group,with 8 rats in each group.Western medicine treatment group was given Nimodipine at a dose of 1 g/kg via intragastric administration once daily for 7 consecutive days.Inhibitor group received multiple intracerebroventricular injections of the PI3K/Akt inhibitor LY294002 within the 24 hours before modeling.Inhibitor group and electroacupuncture group were treated with"olfactory three needle"electroacupuncture therapy,acupuncture was applied at"Yintang"(EX-HN3)acupoint and bilateral"Yingxiang"(LI20)acupoint.The treatment was performed once daily for 7 consecutive days,with each session lasting 20 minutes.Morris water maze test was used to evaluate the learning effectiveness and spatial memory ability of rats;immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression status of bFGF protein;TUNEL technology was used to observe the cell apoptosis in hippocampal neuronal cells;Western blot technology was used to analyze the expression levels of p-PI3K and p-Akt proteins in the hippocampal region of the rats.Results Compared with the sham surgery group,the escape latency of the rats in model group significantly increased,the number of times they crossed the original platform position decreased significantly(P<0.01),and the percentage of bFGF-positive cells decreased significantly(P<0.01);the expression levels of p-PI3K and p-Akt proteins both decreased(P<0.01),while the apoptosis rate of cells significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,both the Western medicine treatment group and the electroacupuncture group had significantly shortened escape latency periods,and the frequency of crossing the original platform was significantly increased(P<0.01);the percentage of bFGF-positive cells increased(P<0.05,P<0.01);the relative expression levels of p-PI3K and p-Akt proteins increased significantly(P<0.05,P<0.01);the apoptosis rate of cells significantly decreased(P<0.01).Conclusion The"olfactory three needle"electroacupuncture therapy can activate the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway,effectively reduce the process of hippocampal neuronal cell apoptosis.By ameliorating hippocampal neuronal apoptosis,cognitive,learning,and memory functions of rats with VCI can be improving consequently.