Aberrant Wnt signaling is possibly related to the pathological changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

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The edema of hippocampal neurons in Alzheimer's disease rats was significantly alleviated after electroacupuncture and moxibustion pretreatment (transmission electron microscope, x 8 000).
Credit: Neural Regeneration Research

Axin and β-catenin protein is closely related to Wnt signaling.

Zhou Hua and his team, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, China confirmed that moxibustion or electroacupuncture, or both, at Baihui (GV20) and Shenshu (BL23) acupoints decreased axin protein expression, increased β-catenin protein expression, and alleviated neuronal cytoplasmic edema.

These findings suggest that the mechanism underlying the neuroprotective effect of acupuncture in AD is associated with axin and β-catenin protein expression in the Wnt signal transduction pathway.

Related results were published in Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 9, No. 9, 2014).

Article: " Acupuncture and moxibustion reduces neuronal edema in Alzheimer's disease rats," by Hua Zhou, Guojie Sun, Lihong Kong, Yanjun Du, Feng Shen, Shuju Wang, Bangguo Chen, Xiaoling Zeng (Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China)

Zhou H, Sun GJ, Kong LH, Du YJ, Shen F, Wang SJ, Chen BG, Zeng XL. Acupuncture and moxibustion reduces neuronal edema in Alzheimer's disease rats. Neural Regen Res. 2014;9(9):968-972.