Mechanisms of Acupuncture in the Regulation of Oxidative Stress in Treating Ischemic Stroke.

Xin-Tong Su,Na-Na Yang,Marc Fisher,Cun-Zhi Liu,Lu Wang,Lu-Lu Lin,Jing-Wen Yang,Si-Ming Ma,Yan Cao,Yue Liu

doi:10.1155/2020/7875396

Abstract

Ischemic stroke is the major type of cerebrovascular disease usually resulting in death or disability among the aging population globally. Oxidative stress has been closely linked with ischemic stroke. Disequilibrium between excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inherent antioxidant capacity leads to subsequent oxidative damage in the pathological progression of ischemic brain injury. Acupuncture has been applied widely in treating cerebrovascular diseases from time immemorial in China. This review mainly lays stress on the evidence to illuminate the possible mechanisms of acupuncture therapy in treating ischemic stroke through regulating oxidative stress. We found that by regulating a battery of molecular signaling pathways involved in redox modulation, acupuncture not only activates the inherent antioxidant enzyme system but also inhibits the excessive generation of ROS. Acupuncture therapy possesses the potential in alleviating oxidative stress caused by cerebral ischemia, which may be linked with the neuroprotective effect of acupuncture.

Highlights

Worldwide, stroke still remains one of the leading causes of mortality and long-term disability, which causes healthcare systems a substantial financial burden [1, 2]
Ischemic stroke is defined as the permanent infarction of brain tissues due to the abrupt loss of cerebral blood flow resulting in an impairment of normal neurologic function
Six studies applied manual acupuncture (MA) and 20 studies applied EA, while the other 2 studies applied other types of acupuncture. These studies reveal 4 major categories classifying the underlying mechanisms of acupuncture in the regulation of oxidative stress, namely, (1) activating the inherent antioxidant enzyme system, (2) inhibiting the excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS)/RNS, (3) protecting proteins and lipids from oxidative damage, and (4) regulating the signaling pathways involved in redox modulation

Summary

Introduction

Stroke still remains one of the leading causes of mortality and long-term disability, which causes healthcare systems a substantial financial burden [1, 2]. Timely revascularization therapies including intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy are the main effective treatments in the early stage of ischemic stroke and are associated with improved neurological outcomes, which are recommended by the current clinical guidelines [7, 8]. They have several limitations including the short therapeutic treatment window, rigorous eligibility criteria, and numerous contraindications [9, 10]

Methods

Results

Conclusion