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Objectives : Acupuncture is frequently used as an alternative therapy for Parkinson's disease(PD) in Korea. Using 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine(MPTP)-induced Parkinson's disease mouse model, the present study investigated a possible role of acupuncture stimulation at GB34 in suppressing dopaminergic neuronal death and regulating the phosphorylation of protein kinase B(Akt) in substantia nigra(SN) and striatum(ST). Methods : Eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were administered intraperitoneally with 30 mg/kg of MPTP at 24-h intervals for 5 days. Acupuncture stimulation at GB34 or SI3 was performed once a day for 12 days consecutively from the first MPTP injection. After the last acupuncture stimulation, pole test was performed to assess the effect of the acupuncture stimulations. Dopaminergic neuronal survival in the SN and the ST, dopamine transporter(DAT) and caspase-3 expression in the ST were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The phosphorylations of Akt in the SN and the ST were measured by Western blotting. Results : MPTP administration caused behavioral impairment and dopaminergic neuronal death in the SN and the ST. It also decreased DAT expression and increased caspase-3 expression in the ST. Acupuncture stimulation at GB34 alleviated these MPTP-induced impairments. Moreover, MPTP suppressed Akt phosphorylation in the SN and the ST, whereas acupuncture stimulation at GB34 alleviated the phosphorylation in the SN. Conclusions : These results indicate that acupuncture stimulation at GB34 can inhibit MPTP-induced dopaminergic neuronal death and alleviate the Akt phosphorylation in the SN, suggesting a possible role for acupuncture in the treatment of PD.
Jeon et al. (Thu,) studied this question.