Acupuncture as a multifunctional neuroprotective therapy ameliorates cognitive impairment in a rat model of vascular dementia: A quantitative iTRAQ proteomics study

• Published in: CNS neuroscience & therapeutics Vol. 24; no. 12; pp. 1264 - 1274
• Main Authors: Yang, Jing‐Wen, Wang, Xue‐Rui, Zhang, Meng, Xiao, Ling‐Yong, Zhu, Wen, Ji, Cai‐Shuo, Liu, Cun‐Zhi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.12.2018; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Acupuncture; Acupuncture - methods; Acupuncture Points; Animals; Apoptosis; Carotid Artery Diseases - complications; Cell survival; Cerebral blood flow; Chromatography, Ion Exchange; Cognition Disorders - etiology; Cognition Disorders - therapy; Cognitive ability; Computational Biology; Dementia; Dementia disorders; Dementia, Vascular - complications; Dementia, Vascular - etiology; Disease Models, Animal; Electric Stimulation; Gene Expression Regulation - physiology; Ischemia; iTRAQ; Liquid chromatography; Long-term potentiation; Long-Term Potentiation - physiology; Male; Mass spectroscopy; Maze Learning - physiology; Microinjections; Molecular modelling; Neuroprotection; Original; Oxidative stress; Proteins; Proteomics; Proteomics - methods; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Reactive oxygen species; RNA, Small Interfering - administration & dosage; Rodents; S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit - genetics; S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit - metabolism; Surgery; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Vascular dementia; iTRAQ; acupuncture; proteomics; vascular dementia
• ISSN: 1755-5930; 1755-5949; 1755-5949
• DOI: 10.1111/cns.13063

Summary Aims Acupuncture has been reported to affect vascular dementia through a variety of molecular mechanisms. An isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) with high‐resolution liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) analyses makes it possible to attain a global profile of proteins. Hence, we used an iTRAQ‐LC‐MS/MS strategy to unravel the underlying mechanism of acupuncture. Methods Wistar rats were subjected to vascular dementia with bilateral common carotid occlusion. Acupuncture was intervened for 2 weeks at 3 days after surgery. The Morris water maze was used to assess the cognitive function. Proteins were screened by quantitative proteomics and analyzed by bioinformatic analysis. Four differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were validated by western blot. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, neuron cell loss, and long‐term potentiation (LTP) were determined after western blot. Results Acupuncture at proper acupoints significantly improved cognitive function. A total of 31 proteins were considered DEPs. Gene ontology (GO) analysis showed that most of the DEPs were related to oxidative stress, apoptosis, and synaptic function, which were regarded as the major cellular processes related to acupuncture effect. Western blot results confirm the credibility of iTRAQ results. Acupuncture could decrease ROS production, increase neural cell survival, and improve LTP, which verified the three major cellular processes. Conclusion Acupuncture may serve as a promising clinical candidate for the treatment of vascular dementia via regulating oxidative stress, apoptosis, or synaptic functions.