• Weiguo Dong, Wanqing Quo, Feng Wang, Changzheng Li, Yongcai Xie, Xuehua Zheng, and Hong Shi.
• Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, China (mainland).
• Med. Sci. Monit. 2015 Nov 4; 21: 3356-62.

BackgroundAbnormalities of brain energy metabolism are involved in Alzheimer disease (AD). Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a class III histone deacetylase and activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ co-activator-1α (PGC-1α), which enhances mitochondrial biogenesis and energy homeostasis. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been reported to improve brain energy metabolism in AD. However, the effect of EA on SIRT1 and PGC-1α in AD remains unclear.Material And MethodsATP levels were measured using assay kits in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice. Western blotting analysis and quantitative real-time RT-PCR were performed to measure the expression of SIRT1 and PGC-1a in the hippocampus of SAMP8 mice. PGC-1α acetylation was analyzed using immunoprecipitation.ResultsCompared with senescence-accelerated resistant mice 1 (SAMR1) mice, SAMP8 mice had a decline in ATP levels and the expression of SIRT1 and PGC-1α. EA treatment improved ATP levels, upregulated the expression of SIRT1 and PGC-1α, and decreased PGC-1α acetylation.ConclusionsThese data suggest that EA improved brain energy metabolism, potentially associated with the upregulation of SIRT1-dependent PGC-1α expression.

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