ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Autonomic Neuroscience
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1678938
This article is part of the Research TopicAutonomic Nervous System-targeting Therapies for Cardiovascular DiseasesView all 4 articles
Neural Mechanism of HT7 Electroacupuncture in Myocardial Ischemia: Critical Role of the Paraventricular Nucleus Oxytocin System
Provisionally accepted
Wu Haosheng
Zhu Li
Pan LiuLiu XiaohuiSu HangZheng XinyiLiu TongtongCui ShuaiWu ShengbinZhou Meiqi*Zhu Chao*- Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China
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Objective: Electroacupuncture (EA) at Shenmen (HT7) alleviates acute myocardial ischemia (AMI), but its central neuromodulatory mechanisms remain insufficiently defined. This study investigated whether oxytocinergic (OT) neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) mediate the cardioprotective effects of EA and verified causality through chemogenetic interventions. Methods: Part I: C57BL/6 mice (n = 18) were allocated into three groups: sham, AMI, and AMI + EA-HT7 (2 Hz/1 mA, min/day × days). Cardiac function (echocardiography), histopathology (HE/Masson staining), and PVN electrophysiology were evaluated. Part II: C57BL/6 mice (n = 18) were divided into sham, AMI, and AMI + EA-HT7 groups. Mice received AAV-hSyn-DIO-mCherry and AAV-cre-OT injections into the PVN. EA-induced neuronal activation was quantified by c-Fos and OT co-localization. Part III: C57BL/6 mice (n = 18) were assigned to chemogenetic activation (OT-activation), inhibition (OT-inhibition), and control (OT-control) groups. Under physiological conditions, the effects of chemogenetic modulation on PVN electrophysiology, electrocardiography, and echocardiography were assessed. Part IV: C57BL/6 mice (n = 24) were divided into AMI + OT-control, AMI + EA-HT7 + OT-control, AMI + OT-inhibition, and AMI + EA-HT7 + OT-activation groups. Under pathological conditions, the effects of chemogenetic regulation on PVN physiology and cardiac function were examined. Results: EA at HT7 improved left ventricular ejection fraction (P < 0.05), correlating with suppression of PVN neuronal firing. EA specifically inhibited PVNOT neuronal activity (P < 0.05). Under physiological conditions, chemogenetic modulation of PVNOT neurons altered local electrophysiological activity and cardiac performance. In AMI mice, OT neuronal activation reversed EA-induced cardioprotection (P < 0.05). Conclusion: PVN oxytocinergic neurons are both necessary and sufficient for the cardioprotective effects of EA at HT7. Chemogenetic regulation confirms a causal neurocardiac axis, providing mechanistic insights that support precision acupuncture therapies for ischemic heart disease.
Keywords: Myocardial Ischemia, Electroacupuncture, Shenmen (HT7), paraventricular nucleus, oxytocinergic neurons
Received: 03 Aug 2025; Accepted: 22 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Haosheng, Li, Liu, Xiaohui, Hang, Xinyi, Tongtong, Shuai, Shengbin, Meiqi and Chao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Zhou Meiqi, meiqizhu@163.com
Zhu Chao, 472485026@qq.com
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