Acupuncture improves learning and memory ability of posttraumatic stress disorder model rats through epigenetic regulation of microglial phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway

BACKGROUND: Microglia express phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) has been implicated in the induction and maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP) and in hippocampal synaptic plasticity. However, there are few studies on the interference of PI3K signal pathway in microglia. OBJECTIVE: The study goal is to gain a better understanding of the mechanism by which EA affects synapses provides insights into how electroacupuncture (EA) modulates synaptic plasticity in learning and memory. METHODS: Rat models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were used to explore the effects of EA on microglial PI3K pathway, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and LTP, and the target and mechanism underlying the effects of EA on PI3K from the perspective of protein ubiquitination. RESULTS: EA induced microglial BDNF expression by activating the PI3K-AKT pathway, thereby facilitating LTP and synaptic plasticity. EA inhibited lincRNA 02023 to rescue the binding of WWP2 to PTEN, thereby promoting PTEN ubiquitination and degradation. CONCLUSION: The mechanism of EA improving the learning and memory ability of PTSD rats may be that it can promote the competitive combination of WWP2 and PTEN by inhibiting Linc RNA02023, and then lead to microglial PI3K and its pathway activation, BDNF up-regulation, and finally induce LTP and repair damaged synaptic plasticity.