Electroacupuncture pretreatment preserves telomerase reverse transcriptase function and alleviates postoperative cognitive dysfunction by suppressing oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in aged mice.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Elderly patients often exhibit postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD), a postsurgical decline in memory and executive function. Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, both pathological characteristics of the aged brain, contribute to this decline. This study posits that electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation, an effective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory modality, may enhance telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) function, the catalytic subunit of telomerase known for its protective properties against cellular senescence and oxidative damage, to alleviate POCD in aged mice.

Methods

The animal POCD model was created by subjecting aged mice to abdominal surgery, followed by EA pretreatment at the Baihui acupoint (GV20). Postoperative cognitive function was gaug

SUBMITTER: Wang W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10848091 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature