Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41214402›Full record

ArticleNeurochemical research2025

Electroacupuncture Alleviates Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury by Downregulating IL-17 A and Inhibiting Neurotoxic Astrocyte Activation.

Meng-Meng Zhao, Qing Song, Qian-Yun Xie, Wen-Qiang Sun, Yang Zhang, Wei Tang, Meng-Xing Li

Erratum issuedAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neurochemical research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
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  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Meng-Meng Zhao *College of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tuina, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China.
Qing Song *College of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tuina, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China.
Qian-Yun XieCollege of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tuina, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China.
Wen-Qiang SunCollege of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tuina, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China.
Yang ZhangDepartment of Rehabilitation, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei, 230001, China. kfzhangyang@ustc.edu.cn.
Wei TangCollege of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tuina, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China. tangwei2633@163.com.
Meng-Xing LiCollege of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tuina, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China. Limxahtcm@163.com.

Funding

Anhui Provincial Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Project Plan for Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024ZYYXH154Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation 2308085MH298National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Program) 82474617Natural Science Research Project of Anhui Higher Education Institution 2022AH051263Natural Science Research Project of Anhui Higher Education Institution 2023AH050845Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China 82305361
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) represents a critical pathological mechanism underlying ischemic stroke, yet effective therapeutic interventions remain limited. Neurotoxic astrocytes, activated by inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-17 A (IL-17 A), exacerbate neuronal damage. Although electroacupuncture (EA) has demonstrated neuroprotective properties, its influence on IL-17 A signaling and subsequent astrocyte-mediated neurotoxicity in CIRI remains unclear. This study aims to investigate whether EA mitigates CIRI by downregulating IL-17 A to suppress the activation of neurotoxic astrocyte. A mouse model of middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R) was established employing the Zea-Longa modified ligation method. EA was applied to the Baihui (GV20) and Fengfu (GV16) acupoints. Neurological and behavioral evaluations were performed using the Modified Neurological Severity Score (mNSS), foot fault test, and balance beam test. Cerebral infarction volume was quantified via TTC staining, and neuronal ultrastructure was examined by transmission electron microscopy. Laser speckle imaging was employed to monitor cerebral blood flow before and after modeling and EA treatment. Western blotting was used to analyze protein expression levels of IL-17 A, IL-17RA, NF-κB p65, Bax, Bcl-2, and cleaved-Caspase-3/Caspase-3. Co-localization of IL-17 A with GFAP and C3, as well as IL-17RA with GFAP, was assessed via immunofluorescence staining. qPCR was performed to quantify IL-17 A mRNA levels, while TUNEL staining assessed neuronal apoptosis. ELISA was used to determine the concentrations of IL-17 A, TNF-α, and IL-1β in brain tissue. EA significantly improved neurological function, reduced cerebral infarct size, and alleviated neuronal apoptosis. Compared to the MCAO/R group, EA markedly downregulated IL-17 A expression and its related signaling proteins, inhibited neurotoxic astrocyte activation (C3⁺/GFAP⁺), and suppressed the release of proinflammatory cytokines. Notably, administration of recombinant IL-17 A reversed the neuroprotective effects of EA. These findings suggest that EA mitigates ischemic brain injury by inhibiting IL-17 A-mediated neurotoxic astrocyte activation and neuroinflammation, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic strategy for CIRI.

Indexed as

AstrocytesBrain IschemiaElectroacupunctureInterleukin-17Reperfusion InjuryAnimalsApoptosisDown-RegulationInfarction, Middle Cerebral ArteryMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLIl17a protein, mouseInterleukin-17Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injuryElectroacupunctureInflammatory injuryInterleukin-17ANeurotoxic astrocytes

Identifiers

PMID41214402
PMCPMC12602610

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.