Twenty-four 8-month-old SAMP8 male mice were divided into three groups (n = 8 per group): Alzheimer's disease control (AD) group, the manual acupuncture (MA) group, and the medicine group (M) group. Eight 8-month-old SAMR1 male mice were used as the normal control (N) group.
In the MA group, the mice were immobilized in mouse bags. MA on Baihui (GV20) and Yintang (GV29) was applied for 20 min, with transverse puncturing at a depth of 2-3 mm; then, the mice were pricked at Shuigou (GV26) with disposable sterile acupuncture needles (0.25 mm × 13 mm) (Beijing Zhongyan Taihe Medicine Company, Ltd). During the MA on Baihui (GV20) and Yintang (GV29), twirling manipulation was applied every 5 min and lasted 15 s each time. Each needle was rotated bidirectionally within 90° at a speed of 180°/s. The selection of the acupoints was based on findings from our previous studies [23 (link), 24 (link)]. For the M group, donepezil hydrochloride tablets (Eisai China Inc., H20050978) were crushed and dissolved in distilled water and were delivered to mice by oral gavage at a dose of 0.65 μg/g [25 (link)]. The above treatments were administered once a day for 15 consecutive days, but no treatment was carried out in the N or AD groups. The mice in the AD, N, and M groups received the same 20-min restriction as the MA group.
In the MA group, the mice were immobilized in mouse bags. MA on Baihui (GV20) and Yintang (GV29) was applied for 20 min, with transverse puncturing at a depth of 2-3 mm; then, the mice were pricked at Shuigou (GV26) with disposable sterile acupuncture needles (0.25 mm × 13 mm) (Beijing Zhongyan Taihe Medicine Company, Ltd). During the MA on Baihui (GV20) and Yintang (GV29), twirling manipulation was applied every 5 min and lasted 15 s each time. Each needle was rotated bidirectionally within 90° at a speed of 180°/s. The selection of the acupoints was based on findings from our previous studies [23 (link), 24 (link)]. For the M group, donepezil hydrochloride tablets (Eisai China Inc., H20050978) were crushed and dissolved in distilled water and were delivered to mice by oral gavage at a dose of 0.65 μg/g [25 (link)]. The above treatments were administered once a day for 15 consecutive days, but no treatment was carried out in the N or AD groups. The mice in the AD, N, and M groups received the same 20-min restriction as the MA group.
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