| Objective: To explore the mechanism of electroacupuncture combined with running wheel training alleviating brain nerve injury in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats by inhibiting Tau hyperphosphorylation. Methods: A total of 30 adult male SD rats were randomly divided into control group (sham operation, n=10), MCAO group (MCAO operation, n=10), and observation group (on the 7th day after MCAO operation, rats were treated with running wheel for 12 h a day for 10 weeks, and electroacupuncture was performed at the same time). TUNEL staining was used to analyze the apoptosis of nerve cells in rat brain. The cognitive function of rats was measured by Morris water maze（MWM）. Western blotting was used to analyze the expression of apoptotic proteins Bax, Bcl-2, Bcl-XL and Tau in rat thalamus tissue. Neuronal injury in thalamic tissue was analyzed by Nissner sta-ining and immunofluorescence staining. The levels of p-Tau ser396/404 phosphorylated protein in rat hippocampus were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results: The apoptosis rate of TUNEL staining positive cells in MCAO group was higher than that in control group (P<0.05), and that in observation group was lower than that in MCAO group (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the latent period of the hidden platform in the MCAO group was increased (P<0.05) and the detection test time was decreased (P<0.05), while the latent period of the hidden platform in the observation group was decreased (P<0.05) and the detection test time was increased (P<0.05). The expression of Bax protein in MCAO group was higher than that in control group (P<0.05), the expression of Bax protein in observation group was lower than that in MCAO group (P<0.05), and the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL protein in MCAO group was lower than that in control group (P<0.05). The protein expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL in observation group was higher than that in MCAO group (P<0.05). The number of intact neurons in MCAO group was less than that in control group (P<0.05), and that in observation group was greater than that in MCAO group (P<0.05). The phosphorylation expression of p-Tauser396 and p-Tause404 in MCAO group was higher than that in control group (P<0.05), and that of p-Tauser396 and p-Tause404 in observation group was lower than that in MCAO group (P<0.05). The expression levels of p-Tauser396, p-Tause404 and total Tau were increased in MCAO group (P<0.05), while the expression levels of p-Tauser396, p-Tause404 and total Tau were decreased in observation group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Electroacupuncture combined with running wheel training reduced cerebral nerve injury in MCAO rats by inhibiting Tau hyperphosphorylation and Tau protein expression. |
