Transcriptome analysis and differentially expressed gene screening for hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in rats treated with acupuncture

Abstract Hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) is one of the most common critical diseases in neonates with high mortality and disability rates. The latest research showed that long non-coding RNAs(lncRNA) played an important role in the development of HIBD. Recently, acupuncture therapy has been found to be effective in the treatment of HIBD. However, the mechanism of lncRNA in acupuncture treatment of HIBD is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of lncRNA in acupuncture treatment of HIBD in detail. We demonstrated behavioral performance similar to cognitive deficits in HIBD rat models in the new object recognition experiment and pathological lesion of the prefrontal cortex in nissl staining. Acupuncture treatments at acupoints DU24 and GB13 was proved to be effective in alleviating behavioral deficits and brain injury. A whole transcriptome analysis was applied to investigate transcriptome changes caused by acupuncture in PFC of HIBD rats. A total of 48 mRNAs and 65 lncRNAs was identified relate to acupuncture group and model group. According to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, we found several lncRNAs and their target mRNAs were related to PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway and NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, etc. The results of our research may provide new perspectives on the mechanism of acupuncture and affect the diagnosis and treatment of HIBD.