Key result
Electroacupuncture at PC6 attenuates myocardial remodeling and improves cardiac function in post-MI heart failure rats.
Why the study?
It was unknown whether electroacupuncture at the PC6 acupoint alleviates adverse myocardial remodeling in post-MI heart failure through vagus nerve-mediated cholinergic pathway activation and downstream signaling.
Does electroacupuncture at PC6 alleviate adverse myocardial remodeling and improve cardiac function in a rat model of post-MI heart failure?
RCT (n=18)
randomized
Does electroacupuncture at PC6 alleviate adverse myocardial remodeling and improve cardiac function in a rat model of post-MI heart failure?
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Electroacupuncture at the PC6 acupoint improves cardiac function and attenuates remodeling in post-MI heart failure rats, potentially via the vagus nerve-cholinergic signaling pathway.
Objective This study investigated whether electroacupuncture (EA) at Neiguan (PC6) acupoint alleviates adverse myocardial remodeling in post–myocardial infarction (MI) heart failure (HF) by activating the vagus nerve–mediated cholinergic pathway and its downstream α7nAChR‐Akt‐HIF‐1α‐VEGF signaling cascade. Methods Male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomized into sham, MI model, and EA groups ( n = 6 per group). MI was induced by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. EA was applied at PC6 for 14 days starting 1 week after MI induction. Cardiac function and structure were evaluated using echocardiography and histological examination. The expression levels of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), α7‐nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR), phosphorylated Akt ( p ‐Akt), hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α (HIF‐1α), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were analyzed by real‐time quantitative PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Results EA intervention significantly attenuated pathological myocardial remodeling and improved cardiac function. Compared with the model group, EA treatment markedly enhanced cardiac function, increased contractility, reduced ventricular dilation, restored autonomic balance, and alleviated myocardial necrosis and fibrosis. Molecular studies revealed that EA treatment increased the expression of ChAT and α7nAChR, elevated p ‐Akt levels, and upregulated the expression of HIF‐1α and VEGF. These findings suggest the activation of the vagus nerve–cholinergic signaling pathway and its downstream prosurvival and pro‐angiogenic pathways. Conclusions EA attenuated maladaptive ventricular remodeling and improved cardiac performance. These effects were associated with modulation of autonomic function and engagement of the α7nAChR/Akt/HIF‐1α/VEGF signaling axis, supporting a potential neuro‐immune‐angiogenic mechanism underlying EA‐mediated myocardial repair during the subacute post‐MI phase.
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Wang et al. (2026) conducted an RCT in post-myocardial infarction heart failure (n=18). Electroacupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) acupoint vs. Sham and MI model groups was evaluated on Cardiac function, structure, and expression levels of ChAT, α7nAChR, p-Akt, HIF-1α, and VEGF. Electroacupuncture at PC6 significantly attenuated pathological myocardial remodeling and improved cardiac function in rats with post-MI heart failure.
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