ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore whether the electroacupunture stimulation (ES) at acupoint Zusanli (ST36) can inhibit the bone loss caused by Staphylococcus aureus (SA) infection and its mechanism in a model of SA osteomyelitis.Methods:Twelve male C57 BL/6 mice aged 10 to 12 weeks were randomly divided into 2 even groups ( n=6) for SA infection + ES or SA infection only. After ES at ST36 was conducted for 4 weeks in the model of SA osteomyelitis, samples were harvested from the femora and tibiae. Micro-CT reconstruction was performed to detect trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV), trabecular number (Tb.N), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), trabecular separation (Tb.Sp), connectivity density (Conn.Dn) to analyze changes in bone mass. Leptin receptor (LEPR) staining was performed to detect osteoblasts. Tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining was used to detect the changes in osteoclasts. The changes in plasma inflammatory factors were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results:Micro-CT results showed that the BV/TV, Tb.N, Tb.Th, and Conn.Dn in the cancellous bone in the target areas in the SA + ES group were all higher than those in the SA group, LEPR immunofluorescence results indicated that the number of osteogenic precursor cells in the ES group was larger than that in the SA group, and serum ELISA indicated a decrease in inflammatory factors in the blood in the SA+ES group compared with the SA group. There were significant differences in the comparisons above ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the number of osteoclasts on the surface of trabecular bone between the 2 groups in TRAP staining. Conclusion:ES may slow down infectious bone destruction by inhibiting the inflammatory response induced by SA infection and by inducing aggregation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into trabecular bone.
ABSTRACT
Objective To study the effect of Zusanli and Guanyuan electroacupuncture ( EA) on inflammatory reaction in patients with sepsis. Methods A prospective and randomized trial was carried out in 58 sepsis patients, and the patients were randomly divided into EA group and control group. Patients in both groups were given conventional western medicine treatment, and EA group received EA at acupoints of Zusanli and Guanyuan additionally. The hospitalization time in intensive care unit ( ICU) of the two groups was compared. The changes of serum lactic acid (LA) level and inflammatory indexes including white blood cell and neutrophil count, C- reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and procalcitonin (PCT) of the two groups were observed before and after treatment. Results The hospitalization time in ICU of EA group was less than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05) . On the seventh day after treatment, the serum LA level of EA group was significantly lower than that of the control group ( P<0.05) . Inflammatory indexes of EA group were decreased after treatment compared with those before treatment ( P<0.05) , and on seventh day after treatment, the inflammatory indexes of EA group were significantly lower than those of the control group ( P<0.05) . Conclusion EA at acupoints of Zusanli and Guanyuan is effective for the treatment of sepsis through reducing the inflammatory reaction of sepsis patients.