RESUMO
Objective To investigate the effect of early-stage acupuncture therapy on local glucose metabolism in model rats with cerebral ischemia. Methods Eighty three-month-old SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups,namely normal group,model group,2-h acupuncture group and 24-h acupuncture group,20 rats in each group. Craniotomy was used to establish the rat model of acute cerebral ischemia. Acupuncture treatment was carried out on acupoint of Baihui(GV20)and Renzhong(DU26)with reducing method,needle twirling and rotating frequency being 120 times per minute,once every other 4 min and for one min,and the total needling time for 30 min. Rats in 2-h acupuncture group were given acupuncture 2 h after the successful modeling,and once again after 24 h,two times in total;rats in 24-h acupuncture group were given acupuncture only for one time 24 h after successful modeling. At the end of treatment,the rat neurological function was scored,and the infarction area was measured by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazole chloride (TTC)staining. The protein expression levels of glucose transporter(GLUT)1 and 3 in ischemic brain tissue were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results Compared with the normal group, the scores of neurological function in the model group were increased;TTC staining results showed that the left hemisphere was swollen,and the infarct volume was significantly larger than that of the contralateral side;immunohistochemical results showed that the GLUT1 and GLUT3 expression levels in the ischemic brain tissue were increased(P < 0.01). Compared with the model group,2-h acupuncture group and 24-h acupuncture group could effectively improve the cerebral ischemia, reduce the neurological function indexes and infarction area showed by TTC staining,and increase the expression levels of GLUT1 and GLUT3 in ischemic brain tissue significantly (P<0.05). And the therapeutic effect of 2-h acupuncture group was superior to that of 24-h acupuncture group(P<0.05). Conclusion Acupuncture can effectively improve cerebral ischemia in rats with acute cerebral ischemia. Acupuncture can improve the energy metabolism of ischemic brain tissue by up-regulating the protein expression of cerebral GLUT1 and GLUT3 and by increasing the blood-brain barrier transport efficiency for glucose,thus to promote glucose metabolism and provide energy for ischemic brain tissue to relieve relatively inadequate energy, and to protect against cerebral ischemic injury. Early acupuncture intervention exerts a positive effect on regulating energy metabolism of rats with cerebral ischemia.