ABSTRACT
Objective:
To investigate whether grain-sized
moxibustion at Xinshu (BL15) and Shenshu (BL23) can alleviate
cognitive decline and other pathologic features in early-stage
Alzheimer disease (AD) using
transgenic mice with 5 familial AD
mutations (5XFAD).
Methods:
The
genotype of
transgenic mice was detected by
polymerase chain reaction. A total of 40
transgenic mice (1.5 months old) were randomly and equally allocated to an AD model group (5XFAD group) or a grain-sized
moxibustion group (5XFAD + GM group), with 20 wild-type (WT)
mice (C57BL/6J) serving as the normal
control group (WT group).
Mice in the 5XFAD + GM group were treated by grain-sized
moxibustion at bilateral Xinshu (BL15) and Shenshu (BL23).
Mice in the WT group and 5XFAD group received no
treatment but were restrained to ensure exposure to a
similar experimental condition.
Cognitive function and
memory were assessed with the
Morris water maze and Y-
maze tests. The
amyloid β 40 (Aβ40) and
amyloid β 42 (Aβ42) levels in the
brain were evaluated by
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay;
amyloid plaque deposition in
brain tissue sections was detected by thioflavin-S
staining; the expression of
glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), cluster of differentiation 11b (CD11b),
brain-derived neurotrophic factor (
BDNF), and
choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in the
hippocampus and
prefrontal cortex was analyzed by
immunohistochemistry.
Results:
In the
Morris water maze test, compared with the 5XFAD group,
mice in the 5XFAD + GM group had a shorter escape latency and more target area crossings and spent more
time in the target quadrant (P<0.05). In the Y-
maze test, compared with the 5XFAD group, the number of
training times of the 5XFAD + GM group was significantly decreased (P<0.05), together with more correct responses (P<0.05). Compared with the 5XFAD group, the levels of Aβ40 and Aβ42 in the
brain tissue of the 5XFAD + GM group were significantly lower (P<0.05); in the
hippocampus and
prefrontal cortex, the total number of
amyloid β plaque deposition were significantly lower (P<0.05); the expression levels of GFAP and CD11b were significantly reduced (P<0.05); and the expression levels of ChAT and
BDNF were significantly increased (P<0.05).
Conclusion:
Grain-sized
moxibustion at Xinshu (BL15) and Shenshu (BL23) greatly improves
learning and
memory functions, decreases the levels of Aβ40 and Aβ42, inhibits
amyloid β plaque deposition, decreases the expression of GFAP and CD11b, and increases the expression of ChAT and
BDNF in AD
mice to inhibit the progression of AD.