Effects of acupuncture on the number of associated protein phosphorylation in brain tissues of MCAO rats based on protein microarray technique

Objective To investigate the effects of acupuncture on the number of associated phosphorylated proteins in brain tissues of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats, based on the protein microarray technique. Methods The MCAO model was prepared according to the modified occlusion method using occlusion lines. Forty healthy Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 4 groups using the lottery method: a sham operation group, a model group, a control point group and an acupoint group, with 10 rats in each group. Rats in the sham operation group and the model group only received binding without acupuncture. Rats in the acupoint group received acupuncture at Dazhui (GV 14), Baihui (GV 20) and Shuigou (GV 25); rats in the control point group received acupuncture at non-acupoint control points. The needle was twisted once for 1 min after insertion and another time in the middle of the 30 min needle retaining. Acupuncture was conducted once every 12 h for 6 consecutive times. At the end of the experiment, the neurological impairment score was collected, and cells of the ischemic brain tissues were extracted. The protein phosphorylation of the related signaling was detected using the 720 phosphorylated antibody microarray technique, and the differentially expressed proteins between groups were screened. Results The neurological impairment scores after 72 h of treatment: compared with the sham operation group, the scores of the model group, the control point group and the acupoint group were significantly increased ( P <0.01); compared with the model group, the scores of the acupoint group and the control point group were significantly decreased ( P <0.01, P <0.05); the score of the acupoint group was better than that of the control point group ( P <0.05). The results of the protein microarray: compared with the sham operation group, 48 proteins showed up-regulated phosphorylation (≥1.5 times) in the model group and the down-regulated was 28; compared with the model group, 35 proteins showed up-regulated phosphorylation in the control point group, and the down-regulated was 24. There were 29 proteins showing up-regulated phosphorylation in the acupoint group and the down-regulated was 51. The numbers of proteins involved in the function and signal transduction pathways were also different. Conclusion Acupuncture at Dazhui (GV 14), Baihui (GV 20) and Shuigou (GV 25) can effectively repair brain injury. The ischemic injury of brain tissue may be caused by imbalance of a variety of proteins, and acupuncture can promote brain tissue repair by multi-functional and multi-channel regulation of the protein disorders.