Study on the Protective Mechanism of Acupuncture Regulating ICAM-5 mRNA Expression in Rats with Ischemic Stroke

Objective: The objective is to investigate whether acupuncture can protect brain by regulating the expression of ICAM-5 mRNA in brain tissue. Methods: Male SD rats were used to construct a middle cerebral artery occlusion reperfusion injury (Middle cerebral artery occlusion, MCAO) model, and the rats were randomly divided into 4 groups, namely the normal group (group A) and the sham operation group (group B), MCAO group (group C), MCAO + acupuncture group (group D); real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression of ICAM-5 mRNA in the brain tissue of the ischemic area, and HE staining and TUNEL were used to detect the level of neuronal apoptosis to evaluate the therapeutic effect. Results: Acupuncture can improve neuronal morphology and reduce neuronal apoptosis in rats with ischemic stroke. RT-qPCR: compared with group A and group B, the expression level of ICAM-5 mRNA in the brain tissues of group C and group D decreased, while compared with group C, The expression of ICAM-5 mRNA in the brain tissue of group D was significantly up-regulated (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference between group A and group B (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of ischemic stroke may achieve neuroprotection by up-regulating the expression level of ICAM-5 mRNA.