Research progress of signal pathways of microglia activation in sleep disorders / 生理学报

Sleep is an extremely important physiological state to maintain human life. Sleep disorders can not only cause anxiety and depression, but also induce multi-system diseases that seriously affect brain function and physical health. The neuroinflammation is a key pathological process after sleep disorders, which can induce a series of nervous system diseases. In recent years, the role of microglia activation in neuroinflammation has been paid more and more attention and become a research hotspot in this field. The imbalance of the central microenvironment after sleep disorders leads to changes in the activation and polarization of microglia, which triggers neuroinflammatory response. The activation and polarization of microglia in the sleep disorders are regulated by multiple signaling pathways and complex molecular mechanisms. This paper summarizes five signaling pathways of microglia activation in central inflammation induced by sleep disorders, including P2X7 receptor (P2X7R), p38MAPK, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/NF-κB, JAK/STAT, and α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7-nAChR) pathways, in order to provide reference for further research and clinical treatment targets selection of sleep disorders.

The role of microglia in thalamic reticular nucleus in acupuncture regulating cognitive deficits in insomnia rats / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To explore the mechanism of acupuncture in regulating cognitive deficits in insomnia rats by observing the effect of acupuncture on microglia in thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN). Methods: Thirty rats were randomly divided into a control group, a model group and an acupuncture group, with 10 rats in each group. The insomnia model was established by intraperitoneal injection of para-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) once a day for 2 d. Rats in the control group were intraperitoneally injected with the same amount of normal saline. Rats in the acupuncture group received acupuncture at Neiguan (PC 6) and Zusanli (ST 36) for 5 consecutive days. The CLOCKLAB 2 data acquisition system was used to dynamically observe the sleep of the rats throughout the experiment. The cognition of rats was evaluated by event-related potentials (ERPs). After intervention, brain tissue was extracted. Immunofluorescence was used to test the fluorescence expression in TRN region. The concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: After intraperitoneal injection of PCPA suspension, the spontaneous activity in light period of rats in the model group and acupuncture group increased significantly compared with the control group (both P<0.01). After acupuncture treatment, the rats in the acupuncture group had much less spontaneous activity during the light period than those in the model group (P<0.01), and the results indicated that acupuncture could effectively improve the sleep quality of insomnia rats. Compared with the control group, rats in the model group showed that the P3 latency, the average optical density of microglia, and the concentrations of IL-1β and TNF-α increased significantly (all P<0.05), and the P3 amplitude decreased significantly (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, rats in the acupuncture group presented that the P3 latency, the average optical density of microglia, and the concentrations of IL-1β and TNF-α were significantly decreased (all P<0.05), and the amplitude of P3 was significantly increased (P<0.05). Conclusion: Acupuncture possesses an ability to improve the cognitive state in insomnia rats. The mechanism may be related to inhibiting the microglial activation, diminishing the levels of pro-inflammatory mediators like IL-1β and TNF-α, and promoting the recovery of central nervous system function.

Effect of electro-acupuncture on metabolites in the cerebral cortex of ulcerative colitis rats based on Pi/Wei-brain related theory / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) at points along Foot Yangming Channel on metabolite of ulcerative colitis (UC) rats' cerebral cortex and to identify key metabolites by referring to Pi/Wei-brain related theory in Chinese medicine (CM).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The UC rat model was set up by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) method. Male SD rats were randomly divided into the model group and the EA group, 13 in each group. Another 13 rats were recruited as the blank control group. Rats in the blank control group and the model group received no EA. EA was performed at Zusanli (ST36), Shangjuxu (ST37), and Tianshu (ST25) for 5 days by using disperse-dense wave. Then all rats were sacrificed. Their recto-colon and the ileocecal junction were pathomorphologically observed by light microscope and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Cerebral cortexes were extracted. Water-soluble and lipid-soluble brain tissue metabolites were respectively extracted for metabolic research using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>EA could obviously improve the general condition of UC model rats, decrease the value of DAI, reduce the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the intestinal tract, stabilize structures such as mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and so on (P <0.05). 1HNMR analysis showed that in the model group, contents of glutamic acid, cholesterol, very low density lipoproein (VLDL) in the pallium obviously decreased, while alanine and low density lipoprotein (LDL) significantly increased. After EA, levels of lactic acid, glutamic acid, total cholesterol (TC), and VLDL all increased, and levels of alanine and LDL decreased. All indices were approximate to those of the blank control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>EA at Foot Yangming channel was found to have some effect on metabolites in the brain tissue of UC model rats, which had specific metabonomic material basis and mechanism based on the Pi/Wei-brain related theory.</p>

Simple analysis on collateral therapy in Huangdi's Internal Classic / 中国针灸

Collateral therapy includes treatment of diseases of collaterals, and treatment of human other diseases with collaterals as treating subjects. In collateral therapy of Huangdi's Internal Classic, collaterals were used as treating subjects, and the treatment was directly given at the collaterals of lesion; for treatment methods, acupuncture and moxibustion were adopted as main method, including pricking blood therapy, moxibustion of collaterals, acupuncture; the diseases and syndromes of treatment included diseases and syndromes of channels and collaterals, and human other diseases and syndromes; the principles of reinforcing and reducing, and the principles of treatment varying from time to time were stressed, and it indicated contraindications for treatment.