The effects of acupuncture and electroacupuncture on Parkinson's disease: Current status and future perspectives for molecular mechanisms

Among the progressive neurodegenerative disorders, Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common. Different factors have critical role in pathophysiology of PD such as apoptosis pathways, inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress, and neurotransmitters and its receptors abnormalities. Acupuncture and electroacupuncture were considered as nondrug therapies for PD. Although numerous studies has been conducted for assessing the mechanism underlying electroacupuncture and acupuncture, various principal aspects of these treatment procedures remain not well-known. There have also been few investigations on the molecular mechanism of acupuncture and electroacupuncture therapy effects in PD. This review evaluates the effects of electroacupuncture and acupuncture on the molecular mechanism in PD.