{"title":"Practical and economic challenges of implementing group auricular acupuncture treatment for chronic pain in primary care.","authors":"Iman Majd, Daniel Cherkin, Masa Sasagawa","doi":"10.1177/09645284251314188","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09645284251314188","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Although growing numbers of patients seek acupuncture for pain management, few acupuncturists with insurance credentialing work in the conventional medical settings. This has resulted in increasing frustration among patients wishing to receive acupuncture in primary care settings as part of their insurance benefits.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A course of eight weekly sessions of group auricular acupuncture (AA) for chronic musculoskeletal pain was implemented in a US primary care clinic and billed to insurance. The process of implementing group AA is described, including patients and researchers' perceptions of their experience. We also examined various hypothetical scenarios for reimbursement based on relative value units (RVUs) based on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) billing/coding.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Recruitment was greatly limited by COVID-19 requirements for social distancing and administrative hurdles, such that only four patients participated, three of whom attended all eight sessions. Seven additional Medicare patients were excluded due to concerns that acupuncture would not be covered. Participants reported mostly positive experiences with both AA and the group model of care. Based on our hypothetical reimbursement scenarios, in the fee-for-service model, group sessions appear to be economically more viable when staffed by non-physician acupuncturists credentialed for insurance reimbursement. For example, for a group of six patients each receiving acupuncture would be anticipated to generate 3.60 RVUs, whereas a physician seeing three individual patients consecutively for return office visits at CMS Evaluation and Management (E/M) level 3 could generate at least 4.11 RVUs.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Offering group AA services in primary care clinics might increase access to acupuncture for patients with chronic pain. Although patients appreciated quicker access to acupuncture through group visits, and the group visit experience itself, logistical and economic barriers remain a challenge for sustainable group-based acupuncture visits.</p>","PeriodicalId":7257,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"9645284251314188"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143021779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tianren Chen, Binsen Zhang, Xiaojia Zhang, Lu Tang, Chunai Wang
{"title":"Electroacupuncture improves postoperative cognitive dysfunction by inhibiting ferroptosis via the TFR1-DMT1-FPN pathway.","authors":"Tianren Chen, Binsen Zhang, Xiaojia Zhang, Lu Tang, Chunai Wang","doi":"10.1177/09645284241302816","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09645284241302816","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The aim of this study was to investigate the role of ferroptosis in the occurrence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) using a mouse model and to elucidate whether electroacupuncture (EA) can improve POCD by suppressing ferroptosis via the transferrin receptor 1 (TFR1)-divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1)-ferroportin (FPN) pathway.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The experiment involved three groups: the control group, the POCD group and the POCD + EA group. The POCD animal model was established using sevoflurane anesthesia and tibial fracture. Cognitive and behavioral changes in mice were assessed using the novel object recognition test (NORT) and the Morris water maze (MWM) test, 1 and 3 days after surgery. Transmission electron microscopy was performed to observe changes in the mitochondrial structure of hippocampal tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was conducted to determine the levels of glutathione (GSH) and iron ion (Fe) concentrations. Western blot analysis was used to measure the expression of TFR1, DMT1 and iron pump protein. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was employed to detect the mRNA levels of DMT1 and FPN.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Based on the experimental results of the MWM test and the NORT, we found that EA can improve POCD in mice. Observation by projection electron microscopy showed that EA improved the mitochondrial structure in the hippocampus. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results showed that EA suppressed ferroptosis in the hippocampal area. The qRT-PCR and Western blot results suggested that EA suppresses ferroptosis by regulating the TFR1-DMT1-FPN pathway.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study reveals that sevoflurane and tibial fractures cause cognitive damage through the mechanism of ferroptosis, while EA may inhibit ferroptosis through the TFR1-DMT1-FPN pathway and improve POCD when induced in this way.</p>","PeriodicalId":7257,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"9645284241302816"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142926296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Siqi Zhang, Liang Zhou, Guirong Dong, Hongsheng Dong, Chunling Bao
{"title":"Acupuncture for polymyositis: a case report.","authors":"Siqi Zhang, Liang Zhou, Guirong Dong, Hongsheng Dong, Chunling Bao","doi":"10.1177/09645284241307657","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09645284241307657","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7257,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"9645284241307657"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142913493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"High-intensity electroacupuncture is superior to low-intensity electroacupuncture for knee osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.","authors":"Shi-Guo Yuan, Jung Chen, Mei-Xiong Chen, Nan-Sheng Zheng, Zhi-Wei Zhang, Hua-Jun Wang, Jia Li, Ling Li, Yan-Ping Gao","doi":"10.1177/09645284241298718","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09645284241298718","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Electroacupuncture (EA) has been demonstrated to be efficacious and safe in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA), yet the optimal current intensity for pain control in KOA remains unspecified. The present meta-analysis aimed to compare the effects of high-intensity and low-intensity EA in terms of pain relief and functional improvement in KOA.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A thorough and comprehensive literature search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), all looking at the intensity of EA for KOA, was carried out in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science Journal Citation Report (VIP) and Wanfang database, as well as ClinicalTrials.gov. All databases were searched from their inception until April 2022. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias (RoB)2 tool. Finally, a meta-analysis of all eligible RCTs was performed using Review Manager 5.3.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three studies with 472 individuals were included in the meta-analysis. The pain intensity reductions were significantly different between the high-intensity EA group and low-intensity EA group (mean difference (MD) = -0.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.26 to -0.18, <i>p</i> < 0.00001). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores (MD = -3.62, 95% CI = -12.22 to 4.98, <i>p</i> = 0.41). High-intensity EA significantly improved emotional scale (ES) scores compared to low-intensity EA (MD = -0.72, 95% CI = -0.76 to -0.67, <i>p</i> < 0.00001).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis indicated that high-intensity EA provides superior pain relief and has a bigger impact on emotional scale scores in patients with KOA.</p>","PeriodicalId":7257,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"303-310"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142695186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acupuncture in MedicinePub Date : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-11-26DOI: 10.1177/09645284241298294
Eser Kalaoğlu, Fatma Nur Kesiktaş, Ömer Faruk Bucak, Mücahit Atasoy, Azad Günderci
{"title":"Effectiveness of acupuncture treatment in post-stroke depression and anxiety disorders: a prospective, randomized, controlled, single-blind study.","authors":"Eser Kalaoğlu, Fatma Nur Kesiktaş, Ömer Faruk Bucak, Mücahit Atasoy, Azad Günderci","doi":"10.1177/09645284241298294","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09645284241298294","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Our aim was to examine the effectiveness of acupuncture in post-stroke depression/anxiety disorders and to determine whether it reduces the need for anxiolytic and sedative drug use.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study included 54 stroke patients with depression and/or anxiety disorder. Patients were randomly assigned to the acupuncture treatment group (n = 27) or the control group (n = 27). A conventional rehabilitation program was applied to all patients and acupuncture was performed twice a week for 4 weeks. Patients were evaluated blindly by a psychiatrist at baseline (week 0), week 4 and week 8, using the Hamilton depression rating scale (HAM-D) and Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HAM-A), and drug doses were adjusted when necessary. The HAM-D and HAM-A scores at week 4 were pre-specified as the two primary outcome measures.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Within each group, there was a significant decrease in the mean scores of HAM-D and HAM-A at weeks 4 and 8. No between-group differences in HAM-A or HAM-D scores were seen at 4 weeks but there was a significant decrease in HAM-D scores in favor of the acupuncture group at week 8 (p < 0.025). At week 4, the number of cases whose selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) dose was increased was found to be significantly higher in the control group.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>While the study was negative with respect to its primary outcomes, the findings with respect to certain secondary outcomes suggests further research is warranted to determine if acupuncture treatment is an effective/safe treatment to alleviate post-stroke depression/anxiety.</p><p><strong>Trial registration number: </strong>NCT04283591 (ClinicalTrials.gov).</p>","PeriodicalId":7257,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"319-325"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142715019","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Protective effects of electroacupuncture on senile osteoporosis in rats.","authors":"Jun Zhou, Jinling Wang, Mengjian Qu, Qian Wang, Liqiong Wang, Sijia Liu, Jing Liu, Guanghua Sun, Peirui Zhong, Xiarong Huang, Danni Liu, Linwei Yin, Chengqi He","doi":"10.1177/09645284241280089","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09645284241280089","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The objectives were to explore the protective effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on senile osteoporosis in aged rats and investigate the underlying mechanisms.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study included aged (24-month-old; n = 16) and young (3-month-old; n = 8) male Sprague-Dawley rats. Aged rats were further randomized 1:1 to an aged control group (Aged; n = 8) and an EA treatment group (EA; n = 8). The 3-month-old rats served as young controls (Young). EA rats received EA at ST36, SP6, GB34 and SP10 bilaterally for 30 min a day, 5 days a week, for 8 weeks.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>EA significantly increased serum markers of bone formation in Aged rats. There were no significant differences in serum markers of bone resorption between EA and Aged rats. Deterioration of bone mineral density (BMD) and trabecular bone architecture was observed in the Aged group, while EA significantly increased BMD of the left femur and L5 vertebral body in aged rats. Aging-induced deterioration of trabecular bone architecture was partially reversed in EA rats. Runx2 and Osterix mRNA and protein levels were significantly increased and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ was significantly decreased in bone marrow cells in EA compared with Aged groups. The mRNA and protein levels of core constituents of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway (Wnt3a, low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP)5 and β-catenin) were significantly increased and Dickkopf 1 was significantly decreased in bone marrow cells in EA compared with Aged groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>EA may prevent bone loss and deterioration in aged rats by promoting osteogenesis via a mechanism that may involve activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. EA may represent a therapeutic option for senile osteoporosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":7257,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"334-341"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142492798","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acupuncture in MedicinePub Date : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-11-21DOI: 10.1177/09645284241300176
Joaquín Páez-Rodríguez, Ismael Olivo-Ruiz, Carlos Romero-Morales, Blanca De-la-Cruz-Torres
{"title":"The fascicular anatomy of the sciatic nerve may not influence the muscular activity of the biceps femoris after applying percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation: a randomized clinical trial.","authors":"Joaquín Páez-Rodríguez, Ismael Olivo-Ruiz, Carlos Romero-Morales, Blanca De-la-Cruz-Torres","doi":"10.1177/09645284241300176","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09645284241300176","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Electrical nerve stimulation is an effective therapeutic tool in the field of rehabilitation for the management of musculoskeletal conditions.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To analyze the muscle activity of the short head of the biceps femoris (SHBF) and long head of the biceps femoris (LHBF) after the application of percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation to the common fibular versus tibial nerve compartment of the sciatic nerve.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Thirty-eight healthy subjects received electrical stimulation (asymmetric biphasic rectangular waveforms) through a needle in the sciatic nerve. The sample was divided into two groups in which the technique was applied to the lateral compartment versus medial compartment of the nerve, respectively. The protocol used included 5 s of stimulation at a frequency of 100 Hz and a phase duration of 350 ms, followed by 55 s of rest, for 5 min. The electrical activity of the SHBF and LHBF and the muscle strength of the knee flexors was assessed by surface electromyography during isometric knee flexion in the prone position.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Neither group showed significant changes (p > 0.05) in any variable after the intervention compared with baseline values. Similarly, there were no significant differences in any of the study variables when comparing both groups (p > 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Selective stimulation of the sciatic nerve by percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation had no measurable effects on muscle activity in the SHBF or LHBF, regardless of the approach applied.</p><p><strong>Trial registration number: </strong>NCT05549700 (ClinicalTrials.gov).</p>","PeriodicalId":7257,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"326-333"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142680530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effectiveness of acupuncture as an adjunct to cardiac rehabilitation after coronary artery bypass grafting.","authors":"Sharareh Roshanzamir, Leila Sadat Mohamadi Jahromi, Mohadese Zakeri, Rezvan Ghaderpanah, Reyhaneh Parvin","doi":"10.1177/09645284241298011","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09645284241298011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Considering the importance of cardiac rehabilitation after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and the development of acupuncture over the past few decades, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of acupuncture on patients' exercise tolerance, heart rate and blood pressure after CABG.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Thirty-four patients with a history of recent CABG were recruited between 2019 and 2020 for this clinical trial and randomly divided into two groups receiving acupuncture plus cardiac rehabilitation (group A) and cardiac rehabilitation alone (group B). In both groups, exercise-based rehabilitation exercise was performed. Group A additionally received acupuncture at PC6, PC4, HT7 and GB20 bilaterally. Changes in blood pressure, heart rate and Borg scale score were evaluated before, during and after the course of the treatment.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Heart rate was significantly lower in group A compared to group B after completion of the course of the treatment (P = 0.022). However, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in systolic or diastolic blood pressure or Borg scale scores (P > 0.05). Nevertheless, the Borg scale scores showed a significant decrease within each group over time (P < 0.001), reflecting an improvement in the patients' ability to tolerate activity after cardiac rehabilitation with or without acupuncture.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Acupuncture in combination with exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation was more effective at decreasing heart rate than cardiac rehabilitation alone after CABG. Both approaches appeared to be similarly effective at improving exercise tolerance. In this study, the addition of acupuncture at the aforementioned traditional acupuncture point locations to exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation did not affect blood pressure.</p><p><strong>Trial registration number: </strong>IRCT20171208037793N1 (Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials).</p>","PeriodicalId":7257,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"311-318"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142754543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acupuncture in MedicinePub Date : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-11-22DOI: 10.1177/09645284241298717
Pa Thor, Andrew Moreno, Haoyan Zhong, Miriam Sheetz, Marko Popovic, Sabrina M Strickland, Michael P Ast, Stephanie I Cheng
{"title":"A qualitative analysis of the use of intraoperative acupuncture for patients with nosocomephobia.","authors":"Pa Thor, Andrew Moreno, Haoyan Zhong, Miriam Sheetz, Marko Popovic, Sabrina M Strickland, Michael P Ast, Stephanie I Cheng","doi":"10.1177/09645284241298717","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09645284241298717","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Nosocomephobia, a type of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is a diagnosis of an extreme fear of hospitals that can hinder current/future medical care. There is little research on how nosocomephobia affects elective surgery or how acupuncture can help patients cope.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using the transactional model of stress/coping, this qualitative case study examined the role of acupuncture in nosocomephobia patients' elective surgery appraisal processes. Two patients were interviewed about their nosocomephobia and prior hospital experiences. Six reviewers coded interview transcripts line-by-line using Dedoose software. Reviewers labeled meaningful words, phrases and sentences and produced over 600 codes. Reviewers discussed/identified themes by grouping similar codes and resolving discrepancies. A thematic analysis was then used to develop final themes. Pseudonyms were assigned to protect patient privacy. Sophie had avascular necrosis in both hips and suffered PTSD from a previous traumatic event. Intraoperative acupuncture calmed her hospital anxiety, allowing her to have both hips replaced. Olivia had experienced PTSD and hospital phobia since she was 12 years old. Acupuncture reduced her anxiety surrounding a necessary knee arthrotomy and osteochondral allograft.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Thematic analysis showed how nosocomephobia impacted patients' views of surgery and distinguished between their unique fear rationale. The transactional model of stress/coping illustrated patients' appraisal process from surgery (stressor) to coping (acupuncture) to reappraisal (mental state).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Procedural visits can be stressful due to already heightened anxiety. Although no definitive conclusions can be drawn from this small, uncontrolled case series, acupuncture may represent a safe, noninvasive way for nosocomephobia patients to manage preoperative anxiety.</p>","PeriodicalId":7257,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"356-361"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142685758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acupuncture in MedicinePub Date : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-11-23DOI: 10.1177/09645284241298716
Haiyan Zuo, Qiaoyu Qu, Yan Tong, Lei Wang, Xiaoxiao Wang, Shengbing Wu, Meiqi Zhou
{"title":"Electroacupuncture alleviates acute myocardial ischemic injury in mice by regulating the β<sub>1</sub> adrenergic receptor and post-receptor protein kinase A signaling pathway.","authors":"Haiyan Zuo, Qiaoyu Qu, Yan Tong, Lei Wang, Xiaoxiao Wang, Shengbing Wu, Meiqi Zhou","doi":"10.1177/09645284241298716","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09645284241298716","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To determine the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on β<sub>1</sub>-adrenergic receptor (β<sub>1</sub>-AR) and post-receptor protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway after acute myocardial ischemia (MI).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An MI model was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery of wild-type (WT) C57/BL and β<sub>1</sub>-AR<sup>+/-</sup> mice (heterozygous for β<sub>1</sub>-AR gene deletion). EA treatment was administered at HT5-HT7 or LU9-LU8. We evaluated cardiac function by measuring ST segment displacement, ischemic area and serum levels of creatine kinase (CK)-MB and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Pathological morphology/apoptosis of myocardial tissue were examined using hematoxylin-eosin and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling staining. Norepinephrine (NE) levels in myocardial tissue were detected by ELISA. Levels of β<sub>1</sub> and post-receptor PKA signaling components were evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>EA stimulation at HT7-HT5 could better regulate the level of β<sub>1</sub>-AR in myocardial tissue than that at LU9-LU8. Following EA, the ST segment, serum CK-MB/ LDH and area of myocardial infarction were decreased in WT mice, and the degree of myocardial pathology/apoptosis and expression of cleaved caspase-3 were decreased. Myocardial levels of Gs protein (Gs), adenylate cyclase (AC), cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), phosphorylated protein kinase A (p-PKA), L-type voltage-gated calcium channel α1C (Cav1.2), serine phosphate 16-phospholamban (p-PLB<sup>s16</sup>) and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca<sup>2+</sup>-adenosine triphosphate (ATP)ase 2a (SERCA2a) increased after EA. However, these effects of EA were not replicated in β<sub>1</sub>-AR<sup>+/-</sup> mice. Interestingly, myocardial NE content decreased after EA in WT and β<sub>1</sub>-AR<sup>+/-</sup> mice.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>EA may enhance cardiac function and reduced MI area/apoptosis by restoring the activity of β<sub>1</sub>-AR and post-receptor PKA signaling.</p>","PeriodicalId":7257,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"342-355"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11633077/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142695185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}