Therapeutic effect of scalp clustering acupuncture combined with feeding training on hippocampal neu-ron damage in T2DM rats with cognitive impairment

GUAN Ying; PANG Mengcun; FAN Yuting; XIN Guile; WANG Lu; LI Yonghao; CHEN Hui; LI Ji

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1002-266X.2024.32.002

Abstract：Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of scalp clustering acupuncture combined with feeding train-ing on hippocampal neuron damage in type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)rats with cognitive impairment.Methods Seven-ty-two healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into six groups,including the normal control group,the T2DM group,the model group,the scalp clustering acupuncture group,the feeding training group,and the scalp clustering acupuncture group combined with feeding training group,with 12 rats in each group.Rats in the normal control group were routinely fed;in the T2DM group,we prepared the T2DM models;in the other four groups,we prepared the cognitive impairment models of T2DM.Rats in the normal control group,the T2DM group and the model group were not intervened.Rats in the scalp clustering acupuncture group were given scalp clustering acupuncture intervention,and rats in the feeding training group were given feeding training intervention,and rats in the scalp clustering acupuncture+feeding training group were given feeding training intervention along with scalp clustering acupuncture.After 14 and 28 days of intervention,the Mor-ris water maze(MWM)test was used to observe the learning and memory ability of the model rats,ELISA was used to de-tect the content of superoxide orgotein dismutase(SOD)and maleic dialdehyde(MDA),and Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF).Results Compared with the T2DM group,the escape latency was prolonged,and the number of times crossing platforms was smaller and the residence time in the tar-get quadrant was significantly shorter,the myelin sheath of hippocampal neurons was incomplete,mitochondria tended to be vacuolated,cristae dissolved and disappeared,the activity of SOD and the expression of BDNF protein in hippocampal tissues decreased,and the content of MDA increased in the model group(all P<0.05).The scalp clustering acupuncture,feeding training group,and scalp clustering acupuncture combined with feeding training group had significantly shorter es-cape latency,significantly larger number of times crossing platforms and longer residence time in the target quadrant,alle-viated ultrastructural changes of hippocampal neurons,and significantly increased hippocampal tissue SOD activity,BDNF protein expression level,and significantly decreased MDA content as compared with the model group(all P<0.05).The indexes in the scalp clustering acupuncture+feeding training group were superior to those of the scalp cluster-ing acupuncture group or feeding training group alone,and the indexes at 28 days of intervention were superior to those at 14 days of intervention(all P<0.05).Conclusion Scalp clustering acupuncture combined with feeding training im-proves the learning memory function of T2DM cognitively impaired rats by attenuating peroxidative kinetic damage of cells and repairing the ultrastructure of hippocampal neurons,and the longer the treatment time,the more significant the effect is.