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Review
. 2024 Oct 4;19(1):135.
doi: 10.1186/s13020-024-00990-2.

Acupuncture may play a key role in anti-depression through various mechanisms in depression

Peng Li #  1   2 , Jiangna Zhao #  1 , Xiuxiang Wei #  3 , Longfei Luo  1 , Yuzhou Chu  1 , Tao Zhang  1 , Anning Zhu  4 , Juntao Yan  5
Affiliations
Review

Acupuncture may play a key role in anti-depression through various mechanisms in depression

Peng Li et al. Chin Med. .

Abstract

Depression has emerged as a significant global health concern, exerting a profound impact on individuals, as evidenced by its high prevalence and associated suicide rates. Considering its pervasive nature, the absence of optimal treatment modalities remains a challenge. Acupuncture has garnered substantial clinical and experimental validation for its efficacy in addressing diverse forms of depression, including postpartum, post-stroke, and adolescent depression. This article endeavors to elucidate the distinctive attributes and underlying mechanisms of acupuncture in the contemporary treatment of depression. Research has demonstrated that acupuncture exerts diverse physiological effects in animal models of depression, encompassing modulation of the brain, serum, and brain-gut axis. These effects are attributed to various mechanisms, including anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative actions, promotion of neuronal plasticity, neuroprotection, neurotrophic effects, modulation of neurotransmitters, regulation of endocrine and immune functions, and modulation of cell signal pathways. Currently, the therapeutic mechanism of acupuncture involves the engagement of multiple targets, pathways, and bidirectional regulation. Hence, acupuncture emerges as a promising alternative medical modality, exhibiting substantial research prospects and meriting comprehensive worth further study and dissemination.

Keywords: Acupuncture; CUMS; Complementary and alternative therapy; Depression; Inflammation.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors have no competing interests to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The antidepressant mechanism diagram of acupuncture shows that acupuncture may have therapeutic effect through different brain regions and corresponding mechanisms. Brain regions such as: Hippocampus, amygdala, lateral habenula, prefrontal cortex and neural circuit; Mechanisms such as: Brain-lung axis, Brain-spleen axis, Brain-liver axis, Hypothalamic-adrenal–pituitary axis, Microbiota-gut-brain axis, Neuroplasticity, Neurotransmitter, Neuroinflammation and other Signal pathway
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Acupuncture may treat depression-like behavior by influencing neurotransmitters neuroplasticity, neuroinflammation and OS. Such as 5-HT, HPA axis
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Acupuncture may treat depression-like behavior by affecting different cell signal pathways. Such as JNK, ERK, NLRP3, NMDAR, NO-cGMP, HO-1. The bilayer structure at the bottom of the Figure includes nucleus and mitochondria respectively, and the bilayer structure at the top is cell membrane structure
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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