ABSTRACT
@#Objective To investigate the effects of electroacupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP6) and Yinlingquan (SP9) on muscle repair in the gastrocnemius muscle damaged rats and its possible mechanism. Methods 30 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into blank group (n=10), model group (n=10) and electroacupuncture group (n=10). The latter 2 groups were modeled with gastrocnemius muscle crush injury. The electroacupuncture group received electroacupuncture at Sanyinjiao and Yinlingquan for 14 days. Their gastrocnemius was observed with HE staining, and the expressions of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in gastroc-nemius tissues and the serum were determined with immunochemical assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results Compared with the model group, there was less damage in the electroacupuncture group, with more expression of bFGF and IGF-1 in tis-sues (P<0.01) and serum (P<0.05). Conclusion Electroacupuncture can promote muscle repair after gastrocnemius muscle damage in rats, which may be related to the increase of the bFGF and IGF-1 expression in gastrocnemius tissue and serum.