The Crucial Role of Cerebellar Crus I in Electroacupuncture Pretreatment for Attenuating Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

BACKGROUND

Electroacupuncture pretreatment (EA-pre) has been shown to help reduce myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI), but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Our previous studies indicated that EA activates the cerebellar cortex, specifically the Crus Ⅰ. However, whether activation of the Crus Ⅰ contributes to the attenuation of MIRI induced by EA-pre remains unclear. This study investigated the possible relationship between EA-induced relief of MIRI and the activation of Crus Ⅰ.

METHODS

Electrocardiogram recording, echocardiography, and cardiac histology staining were used to assess the heart's functional status. In vivo electrophysiological recordings, Fos-targeted recombination in active populations (Fos-TRAP) gene-labeling technology and chemogenetic viral modulation were used to explore the effects of Crus Ⅰ activation in EA-pre on MIRI.

RESULTS

In vivo electrophysiological recordings demonstrated that Crus Ⅰ plays a crucial role in EA-pre by modulating sympathetic activity to alleviate MIRI. Subsequent Fos-TRAP studies showed that EA stimulation primarily induces changes in the neuronal activity of Crus Ⅰ Purkinje cells (Crus ⅠPC). Chemogenetic viral manipulations further verified that EA-pre suppresses PC activity in MIRI.

CONCLUSION

EA-pre mitigated cardiac sympathetic nerve dysfunction during MIRI by regulating Crus ⅠPC activity.