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Review
. 2024 Oct;30(10):e14920.
doi: 10.1111/cns.14920.

Overview of mechanism of electroacupuncture pretreatment for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases

Jiaming Zeng  1 , Jiaojiao Cao  1 , Haitao Yang  1 , Xue Wang  1 , Tingting Liu  1 , Zhihan Chen  1 , Fangyuan Shi  1 , Zhifang Xu  1   2   3 , Xiaowei Lin  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

Overview of mechanism of electroacupuncture pretreatment for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases

Jiaming Zeng et al. CNS Neurosci Ther. 2024 Oct.

Abstract

Cardio-cerebrovascular disease (CCVD) is a serious threat to huma strategy to prevent the occurrence and development of disease by giving electroacupuncture intervention before the disease occurs. EAP has been shown in many preclinical studies to relieve ischemic symptoms and improve damage from ischemia-reperfusion, with no comprehensive review of its mechanisms in cardiovascular disease yet. In this paper, we first systematically discussed the meridian and acupoint selection law of EAP for CCVD and focused on the progress of the mechanism of action of EAP for the prevention and treatment of CCVD. As a result, in preclinical studies, AMI and MCAO models are commonly used to simulate ischemic injury in CCVD, while MIRI and CI/RI models are used to simulate reperfusion injury caused by blood flow recovery after focal tissue ischemia. According to the meridian matching rules of EAP for CCVD, PC6 in the pericardial meridian is the most commonly used acupoint in cardiovascular diseases, while GV20 in the Du meridian is the most commonly used acupoint in cerebrovascular diseases. In terms of intervention parameters, EAP intervention generally lasts for 30 min, with acupuncture depths mostly between 1.5 and 5 mm, stimulation intensities mostly at 1 mA, and commonly used frequencies being low frequencies. In terms of molecular mechanisms, the key pathways of EAP in preventing and treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are partially similar. EAP can play a protective role in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases by promoting autophagy, regulating Ca2+ overload, and promoting vascular regeneration through anti-inflammatory reactions, antioxidant stress, and anti-apoptosis. Of course, both pathways involved have their corresponding specificities. When using EAP to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases, it involves the metabolic pathway of glutamate, while when using EAP to prevent and treat cerebrovascular diseases, it involves the homeostasis of the blood-brain barrier and the release of neurotransmitters and nutritional factors. I hope these data can provide experimental basis and reference for the clinical promotion and application of EAP in CCVD treatment.

Keywords: cardiovascular disease; cerebrovascular diseases; electroacupuncture pretreatment; mechanism; meridian.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that this study was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
A flowchart of this search process.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Acupoint compatibility model diagram of EAP for prevention and treatment of CCVD.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Biological mechanisms of EAP in prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Biological mechanisms of EAP in prevention and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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