Effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on serum Aβ levels in rats with Alzheimer's disease

Objective:To investigate the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on the serum amyloid β-protein(Aβ) levels in rats with Alzheimer 's disease(AD).Methods:Sixty Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group,sham operation group,and acupuncture and moxibustion group.The model group and acupuncture and moxibustion group were treated with Aβ1-42,which was injected into the hippocampus,to establish an AD model,and the acupuncture and moxibustion group received acupuncture and moxibustion at Baihui and Shenshu points;the sham operation group was injected with an equal volume of normal saline;the normal group received no treatment.The serum Aβ levels of all rats were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results:Compared with the normal group,the model group had a significantly increased serum Aβ level(P 0.01);compared with the model group,the sham operation group and acupuncture and moxibustion group had significantly decreased serum Aβ levels(P 0.05 or P 0.01);there was no significant difference in serum Aβ level between the sham operation group and acupuncture and moxibustion group(P 0.05).Conclusion:Acupuncture and moxibustion at Baihui and Shenshu points can reduce the serum Aβ levels in AD rats,but the mechanism needs further research.