Experimental Study on the Effect of Acupuncture on ERM/PI3/Akt Signal Pathway in Rats with Ischemic Stroke

Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture on the expression of ERM/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the brain tissue around the infarct focus of ischemic stroke model rats. Methods: According to the block randomization method, 80 male SD rats were divided into normal group (n = 10), sham operation group (n = 24), model group (n = 23) and acupuncture group (n = 23). The normal group was bred routinely without any intervention. In the sham operation group, only the skin was cut to find and the nerves and blood vessels were stripped and sutured. The model group and the acupuncture group were sutured to prepare the MCAO model. After the model was successfully established, acupuncture of the acupuncture group rats was given once a day, and the needles were kept for 30 minutes each time. The rats in the sham operation group and the model group only imitated capture and return, and were treated with acupuncture for 2 consecutive courses, each course was 5 days, and the two courses were rested for 2 days. After that, Western blot was used to detect ERM, changes in the concentration of PI3K and Akt proteins. Results: Compared with the normal group, the expression levels of ERM, PI3K, and Akt proteins in the sham operation group were reduced. Compared with the sham operation group, the expression levels of ERM, PI3K, and Akt proteins in the model group were significantly down-regulated. Compared with the model group, the protein expression levels of ERM, PI3K and Akt were significantly up-regulated in the acupuncture group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Acupuncture can significantly up-regulate the expression of ERM, PI3K and Akt proteins, and its effect mechanism may be related to the transduction of ERM/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in cells.