Does acute-phase acupuncture at Hegu (LI04) promote facial nerve regeneration and upregulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway? A hypothesis-generating study in a rabbit crush injury model
Song J, Zhang J, He X, Zhu Z, Liu B, Liu Y, Liang C, Jiang B, Zhang K · Frontiers in Neurology · 2026 April 22
DOI 10.3389/fneur.2026.1805719
Objective
To investigate the time-dependent effects of acupuncture at Hegu (LI04) on facial nerve regeneration and the regulatory role of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway in a rabbit facial nerve crush injury model.
Conclusions
Acupuncture at Hegu (LI04) was associated with improved repair of facial nerve crush injury, with acute-phase treatment showing greater efficacy than chronic-phase treatment and this effect accompanied by upregulation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway.
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