Olfactory Three-Needle Electroacupuncture Improved Synaptic Plasticity and Gut Microbiota of SAMP8 Mice by Stimulating Olfactory Nerve.

Objective: To investigate the effects and mechanisms of olfactory three-needle (OTN) electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of the olfactory system on cognitive dysfunction, synaptic plasticity, and the gut microbiota in senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice.

Methods: Thirty-six SAMP8 mice were randomly divided into the SAMP8 (P8), SAMP8+OTN (P8-OT), and SAMP8+nerve transection+OTN (P8-N-OT) groups according to a random number table (n=12 per group), and 12 accelerated senescence-resistant (SAMR1) mice were used as the control (R1) group. EA was performed at the Yintang (GV 29) and bilateral Yingxiang (LI 20) acupoints of SAMP8 mice for 4 weeks.

Caffeine Impaired Acupuncture Analgesia in Inflammatory Pain by Blocking Adenosine A1 Receptor.

Caffeine consumption inhibits acupuncture analgesic effects by blocking adenosine signaling. However, existing evidence remains controversial. Hence, this study aimed to examine the adenosine A1 receptor (A1R) role in moderate-dose caffeine-induced abolishing effect on acupuncture analgesia using A1R knockout mice (A1R).

"Olfactory three-needle" acupuncture enhances synaptic function in Aβ-induced Alzheimer's disease via activating PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β signaling pathway.

Synaptic dysfunction and neuronal loss are related to cognitive impairment of Alzheimer's disease. Recent evidence indicates that regulating the phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase (PI3K)/AKT/GSK-3β pathway is a therapeutic strategy for improving synaptic plasticity in Alzheimer's disease. Here, we investigated "olfactory three-needle" effects on synaptic function and the PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β signaling pathway in β-amyloid (Aβ)-induced Alzheimer's disease rats.