Effect of electroacupuncture pretreatment on mitophagy and long-term neurological function recovery in MCAO mice

ZHANG Hua'nan; SHI Liwen; YANG Manping; HE Shan; XU Feifei; LU Zhihong

doi:10.13276/j.issn.2097-1656.2025.12.002

Abstract：Objective To explore the effect of electroacupuncture(EA)pretreatment on mitophagy in the penumbra region and long-term neurological function recovery in a mouse model of ischemic stroke.Methods Middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO)model was used to simulate cerebral stroke.Forty-eight male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into sham surgery group(Sham group),sham surgery+EA group(EA group),model group(MCAO group),and EA pretreatment group(EA+MCAO group),with 12 mice in each group.EA group received intervention at the Baihui acupoint for 5 d,30 min per day.Western blotting was used to detect the effects of EA pretreatment on protein expression of mitophagy markers in mice 24 h after MCAO.Forelimb grip strength test,tape removal test,open field test,and Y-maze test were performed to observe the effect of EA pretreatment on the neurological function of mice 3,7,and 14 d after MCAO.Results EA pretreatment increased the expression of BCL2 interacting protein 3(BNIP3)(P＜0.01),while reducing the expression of translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane 20(P＜0.01)and cytochrome c oxidase subunit Ⅳ(P＜0.01),but had no effect on PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 expression.EA pretreatment improved forelimb grip strength of MCAO mice at 7 and 14 d post-surgery(P＜0.05),shortened the time for tape contact/removal(P＜0.05),but did not significantly affect these parameters at 3 d post-surgery.Furthermore,EA pretreatment significantly improved the symmetry of mice 14 d after surgery(P＜0.01)and increased the time spent on new arms and the number of new arm entries in the Y-maze test in MCAO mice 15 d after surgery(P＜0.05).Conclusion EA pretreatment promotes BNIP3-mediated mitophagy and improves long-term neurological function recovery in MCAO mice.