Eleetroacupuncture and the immunological inflammatory reaction in the frontal lobe seen with Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Objeetive To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on microglia, interleukin-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-or (TNF-α) in the frontal lobes of rats modeling Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods Forty-eight normal SD rats 24 months old were randomly divided into a normal group, a sham operated group, a model group and an EA group, with 12 rats in each group. The AD model was established by stereotaxic microinjection of agglutinated amyloid-beta protein (A1β-40, 1 μl, 10 μg/μl) into the rats' bilateral Meynert nucleus. The effects of EA applied to the rats' Baihui ( DU 20) Taixi ( KI 3 ) and Zusanli ( ST 36) acupoints were observed. The EA treatment was applied once a day for 6 days as a course. The next course of treatment was continued after one day's rest and the total treatment involved 2 courses. The activated mieroglia and the expression of IL-1β, and TNF-α in the frontal lobe were determined by immunohistochemistry method. Results The number of cells exhibiting microglia, IL-1β, or TNF-α in the frontal lobes of rats in the model group increased significantly, but after EA treat-ment, cells showing microglia, IL-1β, or TNF-α decreased remarkably. There were significant differences in compar-ison with the model group (P≤0. 01). Conclusion Electroacupuncture treatment can depress inflammatory reac-tion in the frontal lobe of AD rats and adjust the rats' immunologic state. Key words: Electroacupuncture ; Alzheimer's disease ; Microglia; IL-1β; Tumor necrosis faetor-α