Electroacupuncture pretreatment regulates mitophagy in ULK1 knockout mice subjected to cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.

This article investigates the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) pretreatment at acupuncture points GV20 and GV26 on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and mitochondrial impairment in unc-51 like kinase 1 (ULK1) knockout mice. The study found that EA pretreatment significantly reduced neurological deficits, cerebral infarct volume, and brain edema, while reversing mitochondrial structural abnormalities and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential induced by I/R injury. EA also upregulated phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (p-mTORC1) protein expression, although total ULK1, FUN14 domain-containing protein 1 (FUNDC1), and mTORC1 mRNA and protein levels did not significantly change. These results suggest that EA alleviates cerebral I/R injury and mitochondrial dysfunction through mechanisms that are not entirely dependent on the ULK1-FUNDC1 mitophagy pathway, indicating alternative or additional pathways may be involved.