MiRNAs are involved in chronic electroacupuncture tolerance in the rat hypothalamus

Abstract

Acupuncture tolerance is the gradual decrease in analgesic effect due to its prolonged application. However, its mechanism in terms of miRNA is still unknown. To explore the role of miRNAs in electroacupuncture (EA) tolerance of rats using deep sequencing, rats with more than a 50 % increase in tail flick latency (TFL) in response to EA were selected for this experiment. EA tolerance was induced by EA once daily for eight consecutive days. The hypothalami were harvested for deep sequencing. As a result, 49 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified and validated by real-time PCR. Of them, let-7b-5p, miR-148a-3p, miR-124-3p, miR-107-3p, and miR-370-3p were further confirmed to be related to EA tolerance by an intracerebroventricular injection of agomirs or antagomirs of these miRNAs. Potential targets of the 49 miRNAs were enriched in 9 pathways and 282 gene ontology (GO) terms. Five miRNAs were confirmed to participate in EA tolerance probably through the functional categories related to nerve impulse transmission, receptor signal pathways, and gene expression regulation, as well as pathways related to MAPK, neurotrophin, fatty acid metabolism, lysosome, and the degradation of valine, leucine, and isoleucine. Our findings reveal a characterized panel of the differentially expressed miRNAs in the hypothalamus in response to EA and thus provide a solid experimental framework for future analysis of the mechanisms underlying EA-induced tolerance.

Circular RNA expression profiling in the nucleus accumbens: Effects of electroacupuncture treatment on morphine‐induced conditioned place preference

“…These findings are supported by additional studies showing a possible correlation between Ago2/miRNAs complex regulation and DA neurons plasticity during opiate addiction . It was also reported that the expression levels of miRNAs could be regulated by EA . Therefore, we speculated that circRNAs might play a role in the regulation of morphine reinforcement processes.…”

Electroacupuncture Promoted Nerve Repair After Peripheral Nerve Injury by Regulating miR-1b and Its Target Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor

“…Studies showed that the expression of multiple miRNAs has changed such as miR-129 ( Zhu et al, 2018 ) and miR-195 ( Shi et al, 2013 ) after PNI. It has been reported that EA enhanced neurobehavioral functional recovery against ischemic stroke through targeting of SOX2-mediated axonal regeneration by miR-132 ( Cui et al, 2017 ; Zhao X. et al, 2018 ). Another research suggested that several miRNAs were involved in chronic electroacupuncture tolerance in the rat hypothalamus ( Cui et al, 2017 ; Zhao X. et al, 2018 ).…”

“…It has been reported that EA enhanced neurobehavioral functional recovery against ischemic stroke through targeting of SOX2-mediated axonal regeneration by miR-132 ( Cui et al, 2017 ; Zhao X. et al, 2018 ). Another research suggested that several miRNAs were involved in chronic electroacupuncture tolerance in the rat hypothalamus ( Cui et al, 2017 ; Zhao X. et al, 2018 ). Our previous studies have confirmed that EA could promote SC migration and NGF expression in injured local nerve as well as BDNF ( Hu et al, 2018 ).…”

Electroacupuncture Alleviates Surgical Trauma-Induced Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal Axis Hyperactivity Via microRNA-142

“…Recent research showed that hypothalamus let-7, miR-148a, miR-124, miR-107 and miR-370 were confirmed to be related to EA tolerance (Cui et al, 2017 ). EA pretreatment had a protective effect on ischemia/reperfusion injury via miR-214 (Liu et al, 2014 ) and miR-124 (Chen S. H. et al, 2016 ).…”