ArticlePloS one2014
Effects of acupuncture at GV20 and ST36 on the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2, aquaporin 4, and aquaporin 9 in rats subjected to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.
Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 75 citations in OpenAlex.
- Acupuncture improves blood-brain barrier integrity through multi-targeted mechanisms: a preclinical meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy of Acupuncture Combined with Local Anesthesia in Ischemic Stroke Patients with Carotid Artery Stenting: A Prospective Randomized Trial.Chinese journal of integrative medicine · 2020Trial
- Novel insights of acupuncture in ischemic stroke: orchestrating neuro-endocrine-immune network.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Effect of electroacupuncture on postoperative delirium in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: study protocol for a double-center randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Neuroprotective effects of electroacupuncture in ischemic stroke: from mechanisms to clinical implications.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2025Review
- Electroacupuncture ameliorates blood-brain barrier disruption after ischemic stroke through histone acetylation regulation at the matrix metalloproteinase 9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 genes.Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2024Article
- Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Neuronal Injury by NLRP3/ASC/Caspase-1 Mediated Pyroptosis in Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion.Molecular neurobiology · 2024Article
- Mobilizing endogenous neuroprotection: the mechanism of the protective effect of acupuncture on the brain after stroke.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024Review
- The immunomodulatory mechanism of acupuncture treatment for ischemic stroke: research progress, prospects, and future direction.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Review
- Irisin Attenuates Apoptosis Following Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Through Improved Mitochondria Dynamics and ROS Suppression Mediated Through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Axis.Molecular neurobiology · 2023Article
- Pathophysiology and Neuroimmune Interactions Underlying Parkinson's Disease and Traumatic Brain Injury.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Feasibility of electroacupuncture at Baihui (GV20) and Zusanli (ST36) on survival with a favorable neurological outcome in patients with postcardiac arrest syndrome after in-hospital cardiac arrest: study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2023Article
- Regulatory Effect of Electroacupuncture on Hypothalamic Serotonin and its Receptor in Rats with Cerebral Ischemia.Current neurovascular research · 2023Article
- Electroacupuncture and human iPSC-derived small extracellular vesicles regulate the gut microbiota in ischemic strokeFrontiers in immunology · 2023Article
- Electroacupuncture Alleviates Neuroinflammation by Inhibiting the HMGB1 Signaling Pathway in Rats with Sepsis-Associated Encephalopathy.Brain sciences · 2022Article
- Combination of stem cell therapy and acupuncture to treat ischemic stroke: a prospective review.Stem cell research & therapy · 2022Review
- Acupuncture at GV20 and ST36 Improves the Recovery of Behavioral Activity in Rats Subjected to Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2022Article
- Electroacupuncture Inhibits Myelin Sheath Injury in the Internal Capsule After Focal Cerebral Infarction in Rats Through the Nogo-A/NgR Signaling Pathway.Medical science monitor basic research · 2021Article
- Laser acupuncture for refractory coccydynia after traumatic coccyx fracture: A case report.Medicine · 2020Article
- The Mechanism of MAPK Signal Transduction Pathway Involved with Electroacupuncture Treatment for Different Diseases.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
background/purposeIschemic stroke is characterized by high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), aquaporin (AQP) 4, and AQP9 are linked to permeabilization of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury (CIRI). BBB disruption, tissue inflammation, and MMP/AQP upregulation jointly provoke brain edema/swelling after CIRI, while acupuncture and electroacupuncture can alleviate CIRI symptoms. This study evaluated the hypothesis that acupuncture and electroacupuncture can similarly exert neuroprotective actions in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) by modulating MMP2/AQP4/APQ9 expression and inflammatory cell infiltration.
methodsEighty 8-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham group S, MCAO model group M, acupuncture group A, electroacupuncture group EA, and edaravone group ED. The MCAO model was established by placement of a suture to block the middle carotid artery, and reperfusion was triggered by suture removal in all groups except group S. Acupuncture and electroacupuncture were administered at acupoints GV20 (governing vessel-20) and ST36 (stomach-36). Rats in groups A, EA, and ED received acupuncture, electroacupuncture, or edaravone, respectively, immediately after MCAO. Neurological function (assessed using the Modified Neurological Severity Score), infarct volume, MMP2/AQP4/AQP9 mRNA and protein expression, and inflammatory cell infiltration were all evaluated at 24 h post-reperfusion.
resultsAcupuncture and electroacupuncture significantly decreased infarct size and improved neurological function. Furthermore, target mRNA and protein levels and inflammatory cell infiltration were significantly reduced in groups A, EA, and ED vs. group M. However, MMP2/AQP levels and inflammatory cell infiltration were generally higher in groups A and EA than in group ED except MMP2 mRNA levels.
conclusionsAcupuncture and electroacupuncture at GV20 and ST36 both exercised neuroprotective actions in a rat model of MCAO, with no clear differences between groups A and EA. Therefore, acupuncture and electroacupuncture might find utility as adjunctive and complementary treatments to supplement conventional therapy for ischemic stroke.
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