Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive Factor Attachment Receptor (SNARE) Protein Involved in the Remission of Depression by Acupuncture in Rats

This study aims to investigate the molecular mechanisms of acupuncture in the remission of depression. A depressive disorder model was induced by exposing Sprague–Dawley rats to chronic unpredictable stress. The rats were divided into five groups: healthy (blank group) and stressed rats (model group), and stressed rats treated with acupuncture (acupuncture group), riluzole (riluzole group), acupuncture combined with botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) injection (acupuncture + BTX-A group) or riluzole combined with BTX-A injection (riluzole + BTX-A group). Behavioral analysis showed significant differences in sucrose consumption, weight, and horizontal or vertical movements between the model and both the riluzole and acupuncture groups. No obvious differences between the riluzole + BTX-A and acupuncture + BTX-A groups were found. Moreover, no significance differences in glutamate content in the hippocampus were found among the riluzole + BTX-A, acupuncture + BTX-A and model groups (p > 0.05). Western blots and reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions were employed to detect protein and mRNA expressions of VGLUT2, SNAP25, VAMP1, VAMP2, VAMP7, and syntaxin1; no obvious differences among the riluzole + BTX-A, acupuncture + BTX-A and model groups were found. These data suggest that soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment receptor proteins are involved in the remission of depression in rats treated with acupuncture.