Effects of electroacupuncture on the microvasculature of the cerebral cortex after focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion in rats

Objective To study the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on micro-vessel density (MVD) in the cerebral cortex after focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion.Methods Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal group ( n =4), a sham-operated group (n =4) , a model group (n = 16) and an EA group (n = 16). The middle cerebral artery was sutured to establish a model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The Baihui (DU20), Shuigou (DU26) and Zusanli (ST36) acupoints were stimulated with slow-fast wave current for 30 min daily. Streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase complex was used to detect the expression of CD34 and MVD changes in the rats' right cerebral cortex on the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 8th day.Results Compared with the normal group and the sham-operated group, MVD in the ischemic cortex of all subgroups of the model group had increased. It peaked on the 4th day and then gradually declined through the 8th day. MVD in all the subgroups of the EA group increased significantly, and more than in the model group at every time point, but the difference between the 2 groups was significant only on the 4th day.Conclusions Regulating angiogenesis in ischemic brain tissue is one of the ways EA can protect the brain. Key words: Cerebral ischemia;  Reperfusion;  Electroacupuncture;  Angiogenesis