中文

Journal of Shanghai University >

2026 , Vol. 32 >Issue 3: 388 - 401

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12066/j.issn.1007-2861.2731

Bioengineering

Regulation of microglial AhR-SYK pathway by electroacupuncture to promote myelin debris clearance and remyelination

  • WANG Liang ,
  • WU Shuai ,
  • NING Xianhui ,
  • ZHANG Tongtong ,
  • WU Xinyi ,
  • ZHU Zhe ,
  • WANG Yumeng ,
  • ZHOU Yi ,
  • WANG Jun
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  • 1. School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China;
    2. Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China;
    3. Outpatient Department of Unit 94826, Shanghai 200000, China

Received date: 2026-02-02

  Online published: 2026-07-04

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Abstract

To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on myelin debris clearance and remyelination in cuprizone (CPZ)-induced demyelinated mice through regulating the microglial aryl hydrocarbon receptor-spleen tyrosine kinase (AhR-SYK) pathway, a demyelination model was established by feeding C57BL/6J mice with 0.3% CPZ. Behavioral tests, immunofluorescence (IF), transmission electron microscope (TEM), quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and Western blot were used to evaluate the degree of demyelination, inflammatory responses, and expression of the AhR-SYK pathway. The results showed that EA significantly shortened the beam walking time and prolonged the rotarod latency of CPZ mice. It significantly upregulated the expression of myelin basic protein (MBP) and the proportion of myelinated axons in the corpus callosum, upregulated the expressions of AhR and SYK, reduced the fluorescence intensity of degraded MBP (dMBP) and lipid deposition, and downregulated the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as Nos2 and IL-1β. Therefore, it was concluded that EA might promote remyelination and motor function recovery by activating the AhR-SYK pathway to enhance microglial clearance of myelin debris and attenuate neuroinflammation.

Key words： multiple sclerosis (MS); remyelination; microglia; aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR); electroacupuncture (EA); phagocytosis

Cite this article

WANG Liang , WU Shuai , NING Xianhui , ZHANG Tongtong , WU Xinyi , ZHU Zhe , WANG Yumeng , ZHOU Yi , WANG Jun . Regulation of microglial AhR-SYK pathway by electroacupuncture to promote myelin debris clearance and remyelination[J]. Journal of Shanghai University, 2026 , 32(3) : 388 -401 . DOI: 10.12066/j.issn.1007-2861.2731

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