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

Abstract

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.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: 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 Ⅰ). 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 Ⅰactivity.