“Olfactory three-needle” acupuncture enhances synaptic function in A𝜷1-42-induced Alzheimer’s disease via activating PI3K/AKT/GSK-3𝜷 signaling pathway
Yuan Wang, Ani Zheng, Huan Yang, Qiang Wang, Bo Ren, Ting Guo, Jing Qiang, Hui Cao, Yujie Gao, Lei Xu, Hui Li, Ling He, Zhibin Liu
Abstract
Synaptic dysfunction and neuronal loss are related to cognitive impairment of Alzheimer’s disease. Recent evidence indicates that regulating the phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase (PI3K)/AKT/GSK-3β pathway is a therapeutic strategy for improving synaptic plasticity in Alzheimer’s disease. Here, we investigated “olfactory three-needle” effects on synaptic function and the PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β signaling pathway in β-amyloid1-42 (Aβ1-42)-induced Alzheimer’s disease rats. A three-needle olfactory bulb insertion for 28 days alleviated Aβ1-42-induced Alzheimer’s disease rats’ cognitive impairment as assessed by performance in the Morris water maze test. Furthermore, the three-needle electrode inhibited neuro-apoptosis and neuro-inflammation. It significantly upregulated the protein expression of postsynaptic density protein 95, synaptophysin, and GAP43, indicating a protective effect on hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Additionally, the activation level of PI3K/AKT signaling and the phosphorylation inactivation of GSK-3β were significantly enhanced by the “olfactory three-needle”. Our findings suggested that the three-needle acupuncture is a potential alternative to improve synaptic plasticity and neuronal survival of Alzheimer’s disease brain in rodents.