Electroacupuncture regulating SIRT1/FOXO3/PINK1/Parkin pathway to improve neurological function in rats with post-stroke depression

doi:10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2026.03.003

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Acta Anatomica Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 57 ›› Issue (3) : 290-297. DOI: 10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2026.03.003

Electroacupuncture regulating SIRT1/FOXO3/PINK1/Parkin pathway to improve neurological function in rats with post-stroke depression

HAN Yu-hui ¹, LIU Feng ¹, PENG Xiu-juan^2*

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Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism by which electroacupuncture (EA) regulates the silent information regulator 2 homolog 1 (SIRT1)/forkhead box protein O3 (FOXO3)/PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1)/Parkin protein pathway to promote mitochondrial autophagy, thereby improving neurological function in rats with post-stroke depression (PSD). Methods Forty rats were randomly divided into four groups using a numerical randomization table: the control (Ctrl) group, the PSD group, the EA group, and the EA + sirtinol group. Neurological function and behavioral tests were conducted in each group. Golgi staining was used to analyze the number of dendritic spines of hippocampus. Western blotting and Real-time PCR were employed to detect the relative protein and mRNA expression levels of autophagy-related markers and SIRT1, FOXO3, PINK1, and Parkin. Results Compared with the Ctrl group, the PSD group exhibited significantly increased immobility time, latency time, and P62 protein expression levels, while showing significantly decreased total distance traveled, center zone entries, dendritic spine density, and expression levels of Beclin-1, SIRT1, FOXO3, PINK1, and Parkin proteins and mRNAs (P<0.05). Compared with the PSD group, the EA group demonstrated significantly reduced neurological function scores, immobility time, latency time, and P62 protein expression levels, along with significantly increased total distance traveled, center zone entries, dendritic spine density, microtubule-associated protein light chain 3(LC3)Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ ratio, Beclin-1, SIRT1, FOXO3, PINK1, and Parkin protein and mRNA expression levels (P<0.05). Compared with the EA group, the EA + sirtinol group showed opposite trends in the aforementioned indicators (P<0.05). Conclusion EA may improve neural function and regulate depressive states in PSD rats by activating the SIRT1/FOXO3 signaling pathway.

Key words

/ "> Electroacupuncture│Post-stroke depression│Neural function improvement│Sirtuin 1/forkhead box protein O3/PTEN-induced putative kinase 1/Parkin pathway│Western blotting│Rat

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HAN Yu-hui LIU Feng PENG Xiu-juan.

Electroacupuncture regulating SIRT1/FOXO3/PINK1/Parkin pathway to improve neurological function in rats with post-stroke depression

[J]. Acta Anatomica Sinica. 2026, 57(3): 290-297 https://doi.org/10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2026.03.003

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