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Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Cerebral Ischemic Injury by Inhibiting Ferroptosis

Background: Our previous study found that electroacupuncture (EA) can promote the recovery of neurological functions, reduce the volume of cerebral infarction, and protect the neurovascular unit in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats. Some studies have shown that ferroptosis is closely rela...

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Autores principales: Li, Guangda, Li, Xiaoxiao, Dong, Jianjian, Han, Yongsheng
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7982901/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33763013
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.619043
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author Li, Guangda
Li, Xiaoxiao
Dong, Jianjian
Han, Yongsheng
author_facet Li, Guangda
Li, Xiaoxiao
Dong, Jianjian
Han, Yongsheng
author_sort Li, Guangda
collection PubMed
description Background: Our previous study found that electroacupuncture (EA) can promote the recovery of neurological functions, reduce the volume of cerebral infarction, and protect the neurovascular unit in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats. Some studies have shown that ferroptosis is closely related to ischemic stroke; however, whether EA plays a protective role by regulating ferroptosis is unknown. Objective: We aimed to investigate the inhibitory effects of EA on ferroptosis in MCAO rats. Methods: We used 36 adult male Sprague–Dawley rats in this study. MCAO rats were established according to the Zea method and treated with EA at a continuous wave of 2/100 Hz and ~2–4 V for 30 min for 7 consecutive days. We analyzed the coordinated motor deficit and volume of cerebral infarction in vivo through 9.4-tesla magnetic resonance imaging. Then, the ischemic brain tissue was isolated and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and iron were determined. Western blotting and real-time quantitative PCR were performed to evaluate the expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), transferrin (Tf), transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1), and ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1). To confirm the results, we used a transmission electron microscope to observe the mitochondrial morphology. Results: EA intervention significantly decreased the oxidative stress level and inhibited ferroptosis. EA significantly improved coordinated motor deficit (P < 0.01) and decreased cerebral infarct volume (P < 0.01) in the EA + MCAO group, compared with the MCAO group. EA downregulated the level of MDA (P < 0.01) and total iron (P < 0.01) and upregulated the level of SOD (P < 0.01) and GSH (P < 0.01) in the EA + MCAO group, compared with the MCAO group. EA increased the levels of GPX4 and GPX4 mRNA (P < 0.01) and FTH1 and FTH1 mRNA (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), whereas it decreased the levels of Tf and Tf mRNA (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) and TfR1 and TfR1 mRNA (P < 0.01) in the EA + MCAO group, compared with the MCAO group. EA also promoted the recovery of mitochondrial morphology according to the mitochondrial classification system for the ischemic cerebral tissue. Conclusion: Our results indicate that EA can inhibit ferroptosis by regulating oxidative stress and iron-related proteins, thus conferring protection against MCAO in a rat model.
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spelling pubmed-79829012021-03-23 Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Cerebral Ischemic Injury by Inhibiting Ferroptosis Li, Guangda Li, Xiaoxiao Dong, Jianjian Han, Yongsheng Front Neurol Neurology Background: Our previous study found that electroacupuncture (EA) can promote the recovery of neurological functions, reduce the volume of cerebral infarction, and protect the neurovascular unit in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats. Some studies have shown that ferroptosis is closely related to ischemic stroke; however, whether EA plays a protective role by regulating ferroptosis is unknown. Objective: We aimed to investigate the inhibitory effects of EA on ferroptosis in MCAO rats. Methods: We used 36 adult male Sprague–Dawley rats in this study. MCAO rats were established according to the Zea method and treated with EA at a continuous wave of 2/100 Hz and ~2–4 V for 30 min for 7 consecutive days. We analyzed the coordinated motor deficit and volume of cerebral infarction in vivo through 9.4-tesla magnetic resonance imaging. Then, the ischemic brain tissue was isolated and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and iron were determined. Western blotting and real-time quantitative PCR were performed to evaluate the expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), transferrin (Tf), transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1), and ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1). To confirm the results, we used a transmission electron microscope to observe the mitochondrial morphology. Results: EA intervention significantly decreased the oxidative stress level and inhibited ferroptosis. EA significantly improved coordinated motor deficit (P < 0.01) and decreased cerebral infarct volume (P < 0.01) in the EA + MCAO group, compared with the MCAO group. EA downregulated the level of MDA (P < 0.01) and total iron (P < 0.01) and upregulated the level of SOD (P < 0.01) and GSH (P < 0.01) in the EA + MCAO group, compared with the MCAO group. EA increased the levels of GPX4 and GPX4 mRNA (P < 0.01) and FTH1 and FTH1 mRNA (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), whereas it decreased the levels of Tf and Tf mRNA (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) and TfR1 and TfR1 mRNA (P < 0.01) in the EA + MCAO group, compared with the MCAO group. EA also promoted the recovery of mitochondrial morphology according to the mitochondrial classification system for the ischemic cerebral tissue. Conclusion: Our results indicate that EA can inhibit ferroptosis by regulating oxidative stress and iron-related proteins, thus conferring protection against MCAO in a rat model. Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-03-08 /pmc/articles/PMC7982901/ /pubmed/33763013 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.619043 Text en Copyright © 2021 Li, Li, Dong and Han. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Neurology
Li, Guangda
Li, Xiaoxiao
Dong, Jianjian
Han, Yongsheng
Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Cerebral Ischemic Injury by Inhibiting Ferroptosis
title Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Cerebral Ischemic Injury by Inhibiting Ferroptosis
title_full Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Cerebral Ischemic Injury by Inhibiting Ferroptosis
title_fullStr Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Cerebral Ischemic Injury by Inhibiting Ferroptosis
title_full_unstemmed Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Cerebral Ischemic Injury by Inhibiting Ferroptosis
title_short Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Cerebral Ischemic Injury by Inhibiting Ferroptosis
title_sort electroacupuncture ameliorates cerebral ischemic injury by inhibiting ferroptosis
topic Neurology
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7982901/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33763013
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.619043
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