Effects Of Electroacupuncture At Baihui And Zusanli On Learning And Memory Ability And Inflammatory Factors In Brain Tissue Of Rats With Vascular Cognitive Impairment

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of electroacupuncture(EA)on the learning and memory ability and cerebral cortex inflammatory factor of rats with vascular cognitive impairment(VCI),verifying its effectiveness by the experiment,providing experimental evidence for the clinical treatment of VCI.MethodsTwo-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study,and the male and female were half and half,and the body mass were 200±20g.Twelve rats were randomly selected as the control group.VCI rat models were prepared using the fluorescent microemboli injection through internal carotid artery.After the model was established,surviving rats were divided into three groups according to the random number table method:VCI model group,positive drug group,electroacupuncture(EA)group.Two weeks after modeling,the rats in EA group were stimulated for 30 minutes with daily electroacupuncture at "Baihui" and "Zusanli"acupoints.The positive drug group was treated with donepezil hydrochloride 0.5206mg/kg orally daily.After the model group successfully established the VCI animal model,no further treatment was performed,and the same degree of grasping stimulation was given at the same time every day.The control group was given no more intervention and the same degree of grasping stimulation was given at the same time every day.After the treatment,the water maze test was used to test the cognitive learning ability of rats.The contents of TNF-a,IL-1β,and IL-6 were detected by ELISA.Results1.Morris Water Maze Experiment Results① Space navigation:With the increase of the number of training,the average escapelatency of each group of rats has been shortened.Compared with the model group,the average escape latency of rats in the control group,positive drug group,and EA group was significantly shorter(P<0.05).② Space exploration experiment:Compared with the model group,positive medicine group and EA group average escape latency were reduced(P<0.05).The mean time for rats to cross the platform for the first time in the EA group was lower than that in the positive drug group(P>0.05).③ Visual platform experiment:There was no significant difference in the escape latency of each group(P>0.05).2.ELISA Methods Detection Results:Compared with the control group,the levels of IL-6,TNF-α and IL-1β in the model group increased significantly.Compared with the model group,the levels of IL-6,TNF-a and IL-1β in the positive drug group and the EA group were all decreased,(P<0.05,P<0.01).The content of IL-6 in the brain tissue of the EA group was significantly lower than that of the positive drug group(P<0.05).ConclusionMultiple lacunar infarction can cause significant increase of TNF-a,IL-6 and IL-1β in rat cortex and affect the ability of learning and memory in rats.EA at "Baihui" and "Zusanli"acupoints can decrease the levels of TNF-α,IL-1 and IL-6 in the cortex of VCI rats,improve the learning and memory ability of rats,and relieve inflammation of the central nervous system.