Electroacupuncture improves synaptic plasticity by regulating the 5-HT1A receptor in hippocampus of rats with chronic unpredictable mild stress
Objectives To investigate the antidepressant effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) in rats, as well as the effects of EA on hippocampal neurons, synaptic morphology, and 5-hydroxytryptamine (HT) receptor expression. Methods Forty adult male Wistar rats were r...
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Published in | Journal of international medical research Vol. 48; no. 5; p. 300060520918419 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
London, England
SAGE Publications
01.05.2020
Sage Publications Ltd SAGE Publishing |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Objectives
To investigate the antidepressant effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) in rats, as well as the effects of EA on hippocampal neurons, synaptic morphology, and 5-hydroxytryptamine (HT) receptor expression.
Methods
Forty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control, CUMS, EA, and paroxetine groups. CUMS modeling was performed for 21 days, followed by 14 days of intervention: rats in the EA group underwent stimulation of GV20 and GV29 acupuncture points for 30 minutes daily; rats in the paroxetine group were administered paroxetine daily. Behavioral tests, transmission electron microscopy, western blotting, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to evaluate the effects of the intervention.
Results
EA treatment reversed the behavioral changes observed in rats due to CUMS modeling; it also improved the pathological changes in organelles and synaptic structures of hippocampal neurons, and upregulated the protein and mRNA expression levels of 5-HT1A receptor. There were no significant differences in 5-HT1B receptor protein and mRNA expression levels among the groups.
Conclusions
EA treatment can alleviate depression-like symptoms in CUMS rats. The underlying mechanism may include promoting the expression of 5-HT1A receptor mRNA and protein, thereby improving synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 These authors contributed equally to this work. |
ISSN: | 0300-0605 1473-2300 |
DOI: | 10.1177/0300060520918419 |