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. 2020 Dec;8(24):1646.
doi: 10.21037/atm-20-7459.

Effects of Baihui electroacupuncture in a rat model of depression

Lin Mao  1 , Fei-Fei Lv  2 , Wen-Fu Yang  3 , Tian-Fang Zhang  1 , Zhong-Chun Li  4 , De-Qiang Li  5 , Zuo-Bing Chen  1
Affiliations

Effects of Baihui electroacupuncture in a rat model of depression

Lin Mao et al. Ann Transl Med. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on behavior in a rat model of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Methods: A total of 45 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: the control, CUMS, and CUMS plus EA groups. Rats in the CUMS and EA groups were subjected to a 3-week CUMS condition, while rats in the EA group received EA at the Baihui (GV 20) acupoint (2 Hz, 0.6 mA) for 10 min once daily before being subjected to the CUMS condition. The sucrose preference test (SPT) was used as a measure to infer activation of the pleasure response to depression-like behaviour. After the behavioral test, 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was intraperitoneally injected (100 mg/kg) and brain samples were collected 24 h later for the detection of hippocampal BrdU. Cell proliferation was determined according to the proportion of BrdU-positive cells. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression was detected.

Results: The severity of anhedonia, BDNF+ cells, and BrdU+ neurons in DG significantly decreased in CUMS rats, and was accompanied by a reduced BDNF and BrdU+ expression (P<0.05). After EA, the low levels of BDNF+ cells and BrdU+ expression and the depression-like behavior increased markedly (P<0.05).

Conclusions: EA contributes to neuroprotection against CUMS by enhancing BDNF expression and improving hippocampal neurogenesis.

Keywords: Major depressive disorder (MDD); brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF); chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS); electroacupuncture (EA); neurogenesis; rat.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/atm-20-7459). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sucrose intake in the three groups at different time points. One-way ANOVA, *, P<0.05; **, P<0.01 vs. CUMS group. ANOVA, analysis of variance; CUMS, chronic unpredictable mild stress; EA, electroacupuncture.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Immunohistochemistry for BDNF-positive cells (mean ± SD) in DG of three groups. (A) Control group; (B) CUMS group; (C) EA plus CUMS group. BDNF+ cells had brown granules in the cytoplasm around the black nuclei. *, P<0.05 vs. CUMS group. n=15, Scale bar =50 µm. CUMS, chronic unpredictable mild stress; EA, electroacupuncture; BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor; SD, standard deviation; DG, dentate gyrus.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Immunohistochemistry for BrdU-positive cells (mean ± SD) in the DG 24 h after BrdU administration in the three groups. (A) Control group; (B) CUMS group; (C) EA plus CUMS group. **, P<0.01 vs. CUMS group. n=15, scale bar =50 µm. CUMS, chronic unpredictable mild stress; EA, electroacupuncture; BrdU, 5-bromodeoxyuridine; SD, standard deviation; DG, dentate gyrus.
Figure 4
Figure 4
BDNF protein expression (western blotting) in the different groups. Mean ± SD. *, P<0.05 vs. CUMS group. BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor; CUMS, chronic unpredictable mild stress, EA, electroacupuncture.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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