ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese medicine has proposed the theory that “treatment for flaccidity aims at Yangming meridian” in the Internal Canon of Medicine. However, relatively few reports focus on electroacupuncture at the Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming for the treatment of spinal cord injury. From the perspectives of Bcl-2 and Bcl-2 expression, the mechanism of electroacupuncture intervention at the Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming for the treatment of spinal cord injury was preliminarily explored in this study. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture on the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 in injured segments of spinal cord injury rats. METHODS: Sixty-four Sprague-Dawley female rats (SPF level) were randomly divided into four groups: control group, pre-labeling group, post-injury labeling group and electroacupuncture group, with 16 rats in each group. The control group and the pre-labeling group were given intraperitoneal injection of Brdu (5 mg/kg) for 10 continuous days prior to the operation to label the cells that had differentiation ability and vitality in the spinal cord. The control group underwent laminectomy at T10 segment on the 11th day of labeling, while a model of spinal cord injury was induced by the clamp method in the pre-labeling group. The post-injury labeling group and the electroacupuncture group were injected intraperitoneally with BrdU (5 mg/kg) for 10 continuous days to mark the activated and proliferated cells. In the electroacupuncture group, electroacupuncture stimulation was done at Zusanli and Futu acupoints of Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian on the 3rd day after modeling, 5 times a week. Four rats were taken from each group at 3, 10, 17, and 24 days after modeling (0, 7, 14, and 21 days after electroacupuncture stimulation). Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan scores were used to evaluate the motor function, and the expressions of Bax and Bcl-2 protein and gene in the spinal cord were detected using qRT-PCR and western blot. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: At 3-24 days after surgery, the neurological scores in the pre-labeling group, post-injury labeling group, and electroacupuncture group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The neurological scores of the electroacpuncture group were significantly higher than those in the pre-labeling group and post-injury labeling group (P < 0.05). With the prolongation of spinal cord injury time, the mRNA and protein expressions of Bax increased first and then decreased, while the mRNA and protein expression of Bcl-2 decreased first and then increased. The ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 decreased gradually with the lapse of electroacupuncture intervention time. To conclude, electroacupuncture stimulation of the Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming can reduce apoptosis of nerve cells, and promote recovery of motor function in spinal cord injury rats by regulating the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax.
ABSTRACT
In the present paper, we summarized the relevant research literature on the underlying mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) intervention in improving cerebral ischemia (CI) in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model rats in recent 5 years from preconditioning and regular intervention. Outcomes showed that both EA preconditioning and regular intervention could relieve CI by reducing toxicity of excitatory amino acids (glutamate, aspartate) and TLR4/NF-κB-mediated inflammatory cascade reaction to relieve inflammatory injury. Moreover, EA preconditioning also could suppress the expression of pro-apoptosis genes and proteins to relieve apoptosis, regulate activation of microglia, and down-regulate the expression of blood brain barrier integrity-related matrix metalloprotein 9. Regular EA intervention also could promote angiogenesis to increase supply of blood and oxygen, facilitate regeneration, proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells via triggering activation of Notch and Shh signaling pathways, and promote the secretion of neurotrophin by up-regulating the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor /Trk A receptor, and promote expression of axon growth and synaptic remodeling-related factor (Ephrin B2/Eph B2) and sr-GTPase activating protein 1 and cell division cycle 42 (Cdc42, axon growth and orientated down-stream molecules). However, up to now, the conclusion is still fragmentary and one-sided, and can not explain the specific mechanism of electroacupuncture in MCAO rats, needing further in-depth study.
ABSTRACT
Objective Thin endometrium affects embryo implantation and the existing clinical options are rather limited for its treatment.This paper aims to investigate the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) transplantation in the treatment of thin endometrium and their possible mechanisms.Methods Fifty adult female SD rats were randomly divided into five groups of equal number:normal control,model control,BMSC,EA,and BMSC+EA,and the thin endometrial model was established by intrauterine injection of 95％ ethanol in the estrous cycle in the latter three groups of animals.The model controis were injected with PBS solution,the rats of the BMSC group injected with stem cell suspension,those of the EA group treated by daily electroacupuncture at the acupoints of Guan Yuan,Sanyinjiao and Zigong from the second day after modeling,and those of the BMSC+EA group treated by both injection of stem cell suspension and daily electroacupuncture.At the fourth estrous cycle after modeling,endometrial tissues were collected from the rats for observation of their morphological changes by HE staining,measurement of the endometrial thickness,count of the vascular glands,and determination of the expressions of vimentin and cytokeratin by immunohistochemistry and those of LIF and HOXA10 by Western blot.Results Compared with the model controls,the rats of the BMSC,EA,and BMSC+EA groups showed significant thickening of the endometrium (P＜0.05) and the endometrial thickness of the BMSC+EA group was the closest to that of the normal control.The numbers of endometrial blood vessels and vascular glands were remarkably increased in the three treatment groups as compared with the model controls (P＜0.01),with complete and regenerated endometrial tissues.The expressions of vimentin and cytokeratin were the highest in the normal control,the lowest in the model control group,and increased sequentially in the EA,BMSC and BMSC+EA groups (P＜0.05).The expression of LIF and HOXA10 were significantly higher in the BMSC,EA and BMSC+EA groups than in the model control (P＜0.01),the highest in the BMSC+EA group,which was closest to that of the normal control (P＜0.05).Conclusion Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation and electroacupuncture can both promote the regeneration and repair of thin endometrium in rats,and the combination of two strategies produces an even better effect.