Mechanisms of electroacupuncture for improving Alzheimer's disease from reducing β amyloid protein level

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary degeneration, is the most common type of dementia and has no incurable therapies at the moment. Electroacupuncture (EA) therapy has been widely used in clinical treatment of AD, and has attained approving effects. This article reviews the development of researches on the mechanisms of EA underlying improving AD by diminishing β amyloid protein （Aβ） neurotoxicity, from 1) up-regulating hippocampal cellular autophagy, 2) improving cerebral energy metabolism by activating oxidation stress-related factors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1 alpha and sirtuin 1 in the hippocampus and frontal cerebral cortex, 3) relieving inflammatory reaction by lowering expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and high-mobility group box 1 and increasing expression of Interleukin 10, and 4) promoting degradation of Aβ1-42 by down-regulating expression of insulin degeneration enzyme, lipoprotein, transthyretin, apolipoprotein and α2 mcroglobulin. Meanwhile, a comprehensive clinical therapy of AD is proposed.