Pretreatment with repeated electroacupuncture attenuates transient focal cerebral ischemic injury in rats

Objective To investigate whether pretreatment with repeated electroacupuncture (EA)at the Baihui acupoint could induce ischemic tolerance against transient focal cerebral ischemic injury in rats. Methods Thirty male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 3 groups (n=10 for each): the control group consisted of animals receiving no treatment, the isoflurane (ISO) group had animals that inhaled 1.5% isoflurane for 30 min a day for 5 days, and animals in the EA group received electroacupuncture at the Baihui acupoint for 30 min a day for 5 days under 1.5% isoflurane anesthesia. Twenty-four hours after the last treatment, the middle cerebral artery was occluded with No. 3 nylon monofilament for 120 min. The neurological outcomes were evaluated 24 h after reperfusion. The infarct volumes were then assessed using 2% triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining after the neurological outcome evaluation. Results The neurological deficit score (NDS) of the EA group was lower than that of the ISO group and the control group , P<0.05. The infarct volume of the EA group (38.3±25.4 mm 3) was significantly smaller than that of the control group (220.5±66.0 mm 3) and the ISO group (168.6±57.6 mm 3) 24 h after reperfusion. Conclusion Electroacupuncture at the Baihui acupoint 30 min a day for 5 days significantly reduces neurological injury induced by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion.