Electroacupuncture reactivates estrogen receptors to restore the neuroprotective effect of estrogen against cerebral ischemic stroke in long-term ovariectomized rats.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Stroke is a sexually dimorphic disease and a leading cause of death and disability. Estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) confers beneficial neuroprotective effects if administered within a widely accepted time window called the "critical period." However, very few studies have explored the idea of modulating the critical period to enable long-term post-menopausal women to regain more benefits from estrogen therapy. Here, motivated by previous findings that electroacupuncture could both alter estrogen metabolism and induce significant tolerance against stroke, it was explored whether EA could restore estrogen's neuroprotection against cerebral ischemia in long-term ovariectomized (OVX) rats.

Methods

We implemented 1 week(w)-EA pretreatment on OVX-10w or OVX-20w rats,

SUBMITTER: Ma Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8553307 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature