Effect of Acupuncture on Hippocampal Flotillin-1, NEP and Aβ42 Expressions in SAMP8 Mice / 上海针灸杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effect of acupuncture on behaviors and its mechanism of action in a SAMP8 mouse model of Alzheimer disease.Methods Sixty 6-month-old male SAMP8 mice were randomized to acupuncture,model and non--acupoint groups.Twenty male SAMP 1 mice of the same age constituted a normal control group.The acupuncture group received intervention by acupuncture at Shenshu,Baihui,Xuehai and Geshu.After eight weeks,a behavioral test was performed using the Morris water maze in every group of mice.The expressions of Flotillin-1,NEP and Aβ42 in mouse hippocampus were determined by western blot.Results The Morris water maze test showed that as compared with the model group,escape latency shortened significantly (P＜0.05) and the time spent in the former platform quadrant and the number of former platform position crossings increased (P＜0.05) in the acupuncture group of mice;escape latency,the time spent in the former platform quadrant and the number of former platform position crossings had no significant differences in the non-meridian-acupoint group of mice (all P＞0.05).As compared with the model group,Flotillin-1 expression decreased significantly in the acupuncture group (P＜0.05) but had no significant difference in the non-meridian-acupoint group (P＞0.05);NEP expression increased significantly in the acupuncture group (P＜0.05) but had no significant difference in the non-meridian-acupoint group (P＞0.05);Aβ42 expression decreased significantly in the acupuncture group (P＜ 0.05) but had no significant difference in the non-meridian-acupoint group (P＞0.05).Conclusions Acupuncture can markedly improve learning and memory abilities in a SAMP8 mouse model of AD and reduce Flotillin-1 content and upregulate NEP expression in SAMP8 mouse hippocampus to decrease Aβ42 expression,relieve neurotoxicity and produce a neuroprotective effect.