Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress via the SIRT1/FOXO1 Autophagy Pathway: An Animal Study.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is common in older adult patients and affects their prognosis. Studies suggested that autophagy and oxidative stress are key factors in the pathogenesis of POCD. This study aimed to determine whether electroacupuncture (EA) pre-treatment improves POCD in aged rats and the underlying mechanisms.

Electroacupuncture improves postoperative cognitive dysfunction by inhibiting ferroptosis via the TFR1-DMT1-FPN pathway.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of ferroptosis in the occurrence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) using a mouse model and to elucidate whether electroacupuncture (EA) can improve POCD by suppressing ferroptosis via the transferrin receptor 1 (TFR1)-divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1)-ferroportin (FPN) pathway.

Methods: The experiment involved three groups: the control group, the POCD group and the POCD + EA group. The POCD animal model was established using sevoflurane anesthesia and tibial fracture.

Electroacupuncture remodels gut microbiota and metabolites in mice with perioperative neurocognitive impairment.

Gut microbiota and metabolites are considered key factors in the pathogenesis of perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PND), and the brain-gut axis may be a promising target for PND treatment. Electroacupuncture has been shown to improve a wide range of neurological disorders and to restore function to the gastrointestinal tract. Thus, we hypothesized whether electroacupuncture could remodel gut microbiota and neuroinflammation induced by anesthesia/surgery.