Effects of Electro-acupuncture at “Weizhong” (BL40) on Expressions of Fas and FasL in Rats with Lumbar Disc Degeneration / 中国中医药信息杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the effects of electro-acupuncture (EA) at “Weizhong” (BL40) on expressions of Fas and FasL in rat models with lumbar disc degeneration; To discuss its mechanism of action.MethodsThirty SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operationgroup, model group and EA group, with 10 rats in each group. The sham-operation group was treated with sham operation to incide local skin; the model and EA groups established rat model of lumbar disc degeneration by puncturing the annulus fibrosus. Four weeks after modeling, rats in the sham-operation and model groups received fixed treatment under identical condition, and rats in the EA group were treated with EA at “Weizhong” (BL40) in 20 minutes, once a day, for 4 weeks. After treatment, Western blot and RT-PCR technology were used to test the protein and mRNA expression levels of Fas and FasL.ResultsThe expressions of Fas and FasL in the model group were higher than those in the sham-operation group (P<0.05); protein and mRNA expression levels of Fas and FasL in the EA group were lower than those in the model group (P<0.05). ConclusionEA at “Weizhong” (BL40) can reduce the expressions of Fas and FasL to inhibit the development of lumbar disc degeneration.