Acupuncture inhibits ferric iron deposition and ferritin-heavy chain reduction in an MPTP-induced parkinsonism model

This study investigated the effect of acupuncture on iron-related oxidative damage in a mouse model designed as a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced parkinsonism model. To generate the chronic parkinsonism model, mice were intraperitoneally injected with MPTP (20 mg/kg, one daily injection) for 30 days and acupuncture was performed at acupoints LR3 (Taichong) and GB34 (Yanglingquan) at 48 h intervals. Acupuncture inhibited decreases in the immunoreactivities of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine transporter (DAT) that occurred as a result of MPTP neurotoxicity. The presence of ferric iron (Fe³⁺), but not ferrous iron (Fe²⁺), was strongly increased in the substantia nigra (SN) as a result of chronic loading of MPTP, whereas the ferritin-heavy chain (F-H) was significantly decreased. However, acupuncture treatment inhibited the increase in ferric iron and the decrease in the F-H that was induced by MPTP. Additionally, treatment with MPTP and acupuncture caused no changes in the presence of ferrous iron and ferritin-light chain (F-L) as a result of the treatments. The mRNA of F-H was also not affected. These results suggest that acupuncture may inhibit iron-related oxidative damage and may prevent the deleterious alteration of iron metabolism in the MPTP model.