Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of electroacupuncture(EA)at Fengchi points(GB20)on cerebral infarction in rats.Methods The 80 male SD rats were randomized into normal group,model group,EA group(EA at Fengchi),and EA+AS1517499 group(EA at Fengchi+intraperitoneal STAT6 phosphorylation inhibitor),with 20 rats in each group.A cerebral infarction model was established via intraluminal filament occlusion in all groups except for the normal group.After intervention,the neurological deficit scores of the rats were assessed.The cerebral infarction area was measured using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride(TTC)staining.Histopathological alterations in brain tissue were observed via hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining.The rate of brain cell apoptosis was determined using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL)staining.The levels of interleukin-6(IL-6),interferon-gamma(IFN-γ),interleukin-4(IL-4),and transforming growth factor-beta(TGF-β)in brain tissue were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Western Blot was used to measure the protein expression of microglial markers(Iba-1,CD86,CD206)and STAT6/NF-κB pathway proteins(STAT6,p-STAT6,PPAR-γ,p-NF-κB p65).Results Compared with the normal group,the neurological deficit score,cerebral infarction area,apoptosis rate of brain cells and the levels of pro-inflammatory factors IL-6 and IFN-γ in the brain tissue of the EA group were significantly increased,and the levels of anti-inflammatory factors IL-4 and TGF-β were significantly decreased,the expression levels of M1 microglia marker CD86 and signal pathway-related protein p-NF-κB p65 were significantly increased,and the expression levels of M2 microglia marker CD206 and signal pathway-related proteins STAT6,p-STAT6 and PPAR-γ were significantly decreased,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,the neurological deficit score,cerebral infarction area,brain cell apoptosis rate and the levels of IL-6 and IFN-γ in the brain tissue of the EA group were significantly decreased,the levels of IL-4 and TGF-β were significantly increased,the expression levels of CD86 and p-NF-κB p65 were significantly decreased,and the expression levels of CD206,STAT6,p-STAT6 and PPAR-γ were significantly increased,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).The therapeutic effects of the above indexes in the EA group were significantly superior to those in the EA+AS1517499 group.Conclusion EA at Fengchi points mitigates cerebral infarction by shifting microglial polarization from M1 to M2 via STAT6/NF-κB pathway modulation.