Electroacupuncture attenuates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting microglial engulfment of dendritic spines

A major side effect of reperfusion therapy following myocardial infarction is myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI). Electroacupuncture preconditioning (EA-pre) has a long history in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Here, we demonstrate how EA-pre attenuates MIRI by affecting the phagocytosis of neuronal dendritic spines of microglia of the fastigial nucleus (FN(microglia)). We observed that EA-pre increased activity in FN(GABA) and then improved myocardial injury by inhibiting abnormal activities of glutaminergic neurons of the FN (FN(Glu)) during MIRI. Interestingly, we observed changes in the quantity and shape of FN microglia in mice treated with EA-pre and a decrease in the phagocytosis of FN(GABA) neuronal dendritic spines by microglia. Furthermore, the effects of improving MIRI were reversed when EA-pre mice were chemically activated by intra-FN lipopolysaccharide injection. Overall, our results provide new insight indicating that EA-pre regulates microglial engulfment capacity, thus promoting the improvement of cardiac sympathetic nervous disorder during MIRI.