Protective effect of Tongdu Tiaoshen acupuncture combined with Xiaoxuming decoction(小续命汤)on dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson’s disease model

OBJECTIVE:To explore the possible mechanism of Tongdu Tiaoshen acupuncture combined with Xiaoxuming decoction(小续命汤,XXMD)in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease(PD).METHODS:C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into eight groups(n=12),including blank group,model group,medication group,acupuncture group,high-dose XXMD group(XXMD-H),low-dose XXMD group(XXMD-L),acupuncture combined with high-dose XXMD group(A+H),and acupuncture combined with low-dose XXMD group(A+L).After treatment for 6 weeks,dopamine(DA)neurons and the pathological changes of tyrosine hydroxylase(TH)positive cells were observed.The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to measure the content of DA and the level of interleukin-1β(IL-1β),interleukin-6(IL-6),interleukin-10(IL-10)and tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α).The m RNA level of PINK1 and Parkin and the protein expression of Nix,PINK1 and Parkin in the substantia nigra were also detected.RESULTS:Combination treatment effectively ameliorated the symptoms of PD.Compared with model group,combined treatment significantly up-regulated the protein expression of Nix,Parkin and PINK1 and the m RNA levels of PINK1 and Parkin in the substantia nigra(P<0.0001,P<0.001,P<0.01 or P<0.05).Furthermore,the levels of pro-inflammation cytokines were obviously decreased after combination therapy,while IL-10 content was increased remarkably(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:Compared with each treatment alone,combination therapy improved the pathological damage of DA neurons of PD mice more effectively.The possible mechanism may be attributed to the up-regulated level of mitochondrial autophagy and improved mitochondrial function.These results provide fresh insight into the mechanism of co-treatment with Tongdu Tiaoshen acupuncture and XXMD for PD.