Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment (Dec 2023)

Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Depression-Like Behaviors in Post-Stroke Rats via Activating AMPK-Mediated Mitochondrial Function

  • Ding Z,
  • Gao J,
  • Feng Y,
  • Wang M,
  • Zhao H,
  • Wu R,
  • Zheng X,
  • Feng X,
  • Lai M

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 19
pp. 2657 – 2671

Abstract

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Zhimin Ding,1,* Jing Gao,2,* Yixuan Feng,1,* Mengyu Wang,1 Huandong Zhao,1 Ruonan Wu,1 Xinyue Zheng,1 Xiaodong Feng,1,2 Mingyin Lai3 1School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Rehabilitation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiaodong Feng; Mingyin Lai, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is one of the most common complications of stroke. Electroacupuncture (EA) is an effective traditional Chinese medicine treatment for PSD, which is widely used in clinical settings. EA has a significant therapeutic effect against PSD, but the mechanism is still unclear. This study aimed to determine whether EA ameliorates depression-like behaviors in PSD rats by regulating the adenosine 5’-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-mediated mitochondrial function.Methods: Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) were used to develop a PSD rat model. To elucidate the role of AMPK in EA treatment, compound C, a selective inhibitor of AMPK, was injected into the lateral ventricle of rats before EA treatment. EA treatment was performed for 14 consecutive days for 30 min per day after PSD modeling. A modified Zea-Longa five-point scale scoring system was used to determine neurologic function in MCAO rats. Behavioral tests were conducted to evaluate depression-like phenotypes in rats. Depression-like behaviors were tested by sucrose preference test (SPT), novelty suppressed feeding test (NSFT), and open-field test (OFT). The structure and morphology of the prefrontal cortex were observed by histopathological hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and Nissl staining. The mitochondrial morphology and function were analyzed by colorimetry, chemiluminescence, Western blotting, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).Results: EA treatment successfully ameliorated depression-like behaviors, upregulated AMPK expression, and improved mitochondrial function. However, AMPK inhibition by Compound C exacerbated depression-like behaviors and aggravated neuronal and mitochondrial injury in PSD rats.Conclusion: EA treatment improved depression-like behaviors in PSD rats and promoted mitochondrial function by activating AMPK.Keywords: electroacupuncture, post-stroke depression, mitochondria, AMPK

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