OBJECTIVE:To investigate the antidepressant mechanism of acupuncture at the molecular level in the pituitary gland of rats exposed to chronic restraint stress (CRS).METHODS:Forty-eight rats were randomly divided into a control group (C),model group (M),fluoxetine group (F),and acupuncture group (A).CRS was induced in the model group by restraining rats for 28 days.Groups F and A were given fluoxetine administration and acupuncture intervention,respectively,1 h before the CRS procedures were implemented.On the 29th day,rat pituitary glands were harvested for RNA extraction and RNA-sequencing analysis.RESULTS:Differentially expressed gene analysis identified 148,87,and 179 response genes differentially expressed in group C vs group M,group F vs group M,and group A vs group M,respectively.Using Gene Ontology term enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis,we identified the up-regulation of gene sets involved in extracellular space,receptor binding,and monoamine neurotransmitter metabolism,and the down-regulation of gene sets involved in immune response and inflammatory response as the prevailing transcriptomic signatures in the pituitary gland of rats treated with CRS,fluoxetine,or acupuncture.CONCLUSION:Our findings suggest that acupuncture has a multitarget antidepressant effect at the molecular and behavioral levels.