Effects of"Wushen Acupuncture"Intervention on Mitochondrial Autophagy-Associated Signaling Cascades in a Rodent Model of Chronic Fatigue
- VernacularTitle:"五神针"对慢性疲劳大鼠线粒体自噬相关信号通路的影响
- Author:
Qiaolin MA
1
;
Xuanqiang FAN
;
Bin HU
;
Dongdong YU
;
Junwei NIU
;
Rongrong ZHAO
;
Rongrong WANG
;
Jiahe CUI
;
Wanzhen FENG
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords: "Wushen Acupuncture"; Chronic fatigue; Mitophagy; PINK1/Parkin signal pathway; AMPK/mTOR signal pathway
- From: World Science and Technology-Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;27(4):992-999
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
- Abstract: Objective Exploring the mechanism of"Wushen acupuncture"in alleviating chronic fatigue in rats from the perspective of mitophagy.Methods Forty male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into a normal group and a modeling group,where the latter employed a protocol combining exhaustive swimming with tail-clamping stimuli to induce a rat model of chronic fatigue.Post-modeling,the normal group was subdivided randomly into a blank group and a presumed control group with specifics requiring clarification.Meanwhile,the modeling group was further randomized into a model group,a"Wushen acupuncture"group that underwent acupuncture at the Baihui and Sishencong points,and a non-acupoint control group,in which acupuncture was applied to 5 mm behind houshencong which is non-meridian,non-acupoint sites on the rats' heads and necks.The modeling and treatment outcomes in rats are assessed via the tail suspension test.Protein relative expression levels of adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase(AMPK),mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR),and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1-alpha(PGC-1α)in rat skeletal muscle were detected using Western blot.Meanwhile,the relative mRNA expression levels of PTEN induced putative kinase 1(PINK1)and Parkin were measured by Real-Time PCR.Results In contrast to the baseline cohort,rats in the induced fatigue model displayed a reduction in struggles,struggle duration,swaying frequency,and swaying duration(P<0.05).When juxtaposed against the fatigue-induced model group,the"Wushen acupuncture"intervention cohort manifested a substantial increase in these behavioral parameters(P<0.05).Furthermore,relative to the"Wushen acupuncture"intervention group,the non-acupoint control cohort showed a decrease in struggles,struggle duration,swaying frequency,and swaying duration(P<0.05).Versus the baseline group,the fatigue-induced model cohort demonstrated a marked decrease in the relative expression levels of AMPK,PGC-1α,PINK1,and Parkin mRNA in skeletal muscle tissue(P<0.05),alongside an increase in mTOR protein expression(P<0.05).Compared to the fatigue-induced model group,the"Wushen acupuncture"intervention led to an increase in the relative expression levels of AMPK,PGC-1α,PINK1,and Parkin mRNA(P<0.05),and a decrease in mTOR protein expression(P<0.05).When juxtaposed against the"Wushen acupuncture"intervention group,the non-acupoint control cohort showed decreased relative expression levels of AMPK,PGC-1α,PINK1,and Parkin mRNA(P<0.05),and increased mTOR protein expression(P<0.05).Conclusion The"Wushen acupuncture"have been shown to enhance the alleviation of chronic fatigue symptoms in rat models and modulate the functionality of mitochondrial autophagy.This therapeutic effect is believed to be mechanistically linked to the regulation of both the PINK1/Parkin pathway and the AMPK/mTOR signaling cascade.
