Electroacupuncture alleviates renal injury in hypertension by regulating the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway via m6A methylation of SOCS1.

BACKGROUND: While electroacupuncture has been shown to improve renal injury associated with salt-sensitive hypertension, its mechanism of action requires elucidation. This study sought to elucidate the epigenetic regulation involved, specifically investigating how electroacupuncture modulates the JAK2/STAT3 inflammatory pathway through SOCS1 methylation in a salt-sensitive hypertensive rat model. METHODS: This study utilized a salt-sensitive hypertensive rat model. The rats were subjected to electroacupuncture at acupoints ST9 (Renying) and SP6 (Sanyinjiao) with a regimen of once-daily, five times per week for six weeks. Upon completion of the intervention, a series of biological assays was conducted to systematically evaluate the degree of renal injury. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that a high-salt diet successfully induced hypertensive renal injury in rats, accompanied by hyperactivation of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway and enhanced inflammatory responses, which were associated with increased METTL3-mediated m6A methylation of SOCS1. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the clinical significance of electroacupuncture as a promising non-pharmacological intervention for hypertensive renal injury. Its therapeutic potential is largely mediated by the epitranscriptomic regulation of the METTL3/SOCS1-JAK2/STAT3 signaling axis.