Is Electroacupuncture an Effective and Safe Treatment for Poststroke Depression? An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective. To observe and compare the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture and antidepressants in the treatment of poststroke depression (PSD) using a meta-analysis method. Methods. The VIP, CNKI, Wanfang, CMB, Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane databases were searched. All randomized controlled trials (RCT) on electroacupuncture treatment of PSD were searched and further screened. Meta-analysis was performed on electroacupuncture and western medicine for PSD to explore the difference in efficacy between electroacupuncture and western medicine for PSD. Results. Nineteen RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with the Western medicine group, the meta-analysis showed no significant changes in Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) scores between the electroacupuncture group and the antidepressant group ( P > 0.05 ). The number of adverse events in the electroacupuncture group was less than that in the antidepressant group. Conclusion. Compared with antidepressants, electroacupuncture is not less effective in improving depression symptoms in PSD patients with greater safety.

Electroacupuncture Pretreatment Mitigates Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury via XBP1/GRP78/Akt Pathway

Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury is a common clinical problem and can result in severe cardiac dysfunction. Previous studies have demonstrated the protection of electroacupuncture against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, the role of X-box binding protein I (XBP1) signaling pathway in the protection of electroacupuncture was still elusive. Thus, we designed this study and demonstrated that electroacupuncture significantly improved cardiac function during myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury and reduced cardiac infarct size. Electroacupuncture treatment further inhibited cardiac injury manifested by the decrease of the activities of serum lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase-MB. The results also revealed that electroacupuncture elevated the expressions of XBP1, glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), Akt, and Bcl-2 and decreased the Bax and cleaved Caspase 3 expressions. By using the inhibitor of XBP1 in vitro, the results revealed that suppression of XBP1 expression could markedly increase the activities of lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase-MB and cell apoptosis, thus exacerbating stimulated ischemia/reperfusion-induced H9c2 cell injury. Compared with stimulated ischemia/reperfusion group, inhibition of XBP1 inhibited the downstream GRP78 and Akt expressions during stimulated ischemia/reperfusion injury. Collectively, our data demonstrated that electroacupuncture treatment activated XBP1/GRP78/Akt signaling to protect hearts from myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. These findings revealed the underlying mechanisms of electroacupuncture protection against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury and may provide novel therapeutic targets for the clinical treatment of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury.

TRPV1 Responses in the Cerebellum Lobules VI, VII, VIII Using Electroacupuncture Treatment for Chronic Pain and Depression Comorbidity in a Murine Model

Depression is a prominent complex psychiatric disorder, usually complicated through expression of comorbid conditions, with chronic pain being among the most prevalent. This comorbidity is consistently associated with a poor prognosis and has been shown to negatively impact patient outcomes. With a global rise in this condition presenting itself, the importance of discovering long-term, effective, and affordable treatments is crucial. Electroacupuncture has demonstrated renowned success in its use for the treatment of pain and is a widely recognized therapy in clinical practice for the treatment of various psychosomatic disorders, most notably depression. Our study aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of Acid-Saline (AS) inducing states of chronic pain and depression comorbidity in the cerebellum, using the ST36 acupoint as the therapeutic intervention. Furthermore, the role of TRPV1 was relatedly explored through the use of TRPV1−/− mice (KO). The results indicated significant differences in the four behavioral tests used to characterize pain and depression states in mice. The AS and AS + SHAM group showed significant differences when compared to the Control and AS + EA groups in the von Frey and Hargreaves’s tests, as well as the Open-Field and Forced Swimming tests. This evidence was further substantiated in the protein levels observed in immunoblotting, with significant differences between the AS and AS + SHAM groups when compared to the AS + EA and AS + KO groups being identified. In addition, immunofluorescence visibly served to corroborate the quantitative outcomes. Conclusively these findings suggest that AS-induced chronic pain and depression comorbidity elicits changes in the cerebellum lobules VI, VII, VIII, which are ameliorated through the use of EA at ST36 via its action on TRPV1 and related molecular pathways. The action of TRPV1 is not singular in CPDC, which would suggest other potential targets such as acid-sensing ion channel subtype 3 (ASIC3) or voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) that could be explored in future studies.

Effective and Safety Analysis of Electroacupuncture Treatment for Restless Legs Syndrome in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients

BACKGROUND: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common complication in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. Current study was conducted to analysis the effectiveness and safety of electroacupuncture on 3 acupuncture points from lower limb meridians in the treatment of RLS.<br/> METHODS: A total of 7 MHD patients (5 Male and 2 Female) in our center with severe RLS symptom were enrolled. After one month of pharmacological washout period, patients received 12 sessions of electroacupuncture on three acupoints (Zusanli (ST36), Sanyinjiao (SP6) and Taichong (LR-3)) during HD. Severity of RLS symptoms and the sleep quality were evaluated by IRLSSG and ISI scores for 3 times (before, after and 1 month later of the electroacupuncture treatment).<br/> RESULTS: The average age of enrolled patients was 52.6±8.9 years, with median dialysis duration of 3.0 years. The hemoglobin level was 125.9±22.9 g/l. The IRLSSG score was significantly lower after electroacupuncture treatment (9.4±3.9) than that before treatment (17.3±4.7) (P <0.01). Both overall severity of RLS symptom average daily severity and frequency were significantly improved after electroacupuncture. It is also validated that the electroacupuncture treatment was contributed to sleep improvement in RLS patients after electroacupuncture treatment was discontinued for one month.<br/> CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture on three lower limbs acupoints during MHD was as a safe and effective treatment for attenuating the symptoms of RLS and improvement of sleep quality in hemodialysis patients, and the therapeutic effect maintain for at least one month.