KAN Bohong, WANG Yu, WANG Yijing, GAO Qing, ZHAO Lan, FAN Yingchang

(1 First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture and Moxibustion Research Institute, No. 88 Changling Road, Xiqing District, Tianjin, P.R. China, 300381; 2 Tianjin Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, No. 88 Changling Road, Xiqing District, Tianjin, P .R. China, 300381; 3 Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 88 Yuquan Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, P.R. China, 300193)

Abstract:  Background  and  Objective:  It’s  known  that  synaptophysin  is  an  important  sign  of synaptogenesis  and  remodeling.  This  study  is  aimed  to  observe  the  expression  of  synaptophysin  in Alzheimer's disease model mice SAMP8 hippocampus and the effect of acupuncture on it. Methods: Thirty SAMP8  mice  were  randomly  divided  into  model  group  (P8  group)  and  acupuncture  group,  with Senescence-accelerated  mouse  resistance  1(SAMR1)  as  normal  control  (R1  group).  The  morphology changes  of  hippocampal  CA1  pyramidal  cells  was  observed  by  HE  staining,  and  the  expression  of synaptophysin  in  hippocampal  was  evaluated  by  real-time  PCR  and  immunohistochemistry(P ＜0.05). Results: The study found that the morphology and structure of pyramidal cells in SAMP8 hippocampus CA1 region were significantly damaged, and acupuncture had good effect on them. Further study found that the  expression  of synaptophysin in SAMP8 hippocampus CA1 region decreased significantly compared with SAMR1, and acupuncture could increase the expression of synaptophysin.  Conclusion: The results show that hippocampal synapses in SAMP8 mice were damaged and acupuncture had therapeutic effects on them by improving the expression of protein and gene of synaptophysin.

Keywords:  Acupuncture  and  Moxibustion  and  Tuina,  Acupuncture,  Alzheimer’s  disease,  SAMP8, 

synaptophysin