Effect of Three Handing-Three Points on Pain Function and Expression of CX3CL1/CX3CR1 in Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn of Rats with Sciatic Nerve Injury / 中国康复理论与实践

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the mechanism of Three Handing-Three Points on pain function in sciatic nerve injury rats by observing the changes of chemokine (C-X3-C motif) ligand 1, CX3CL1)/chemokine (C-X3-C motif) receptor 1 (CX3CR1) protein and mRNA expression in spinal dorsal horn. Methods:A total of 74 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal group (n= 12), sham group (n = 24), model group (n = 25), and Three Handing-Three Points group (Tuina group,n = 13). The model group and Tuina group prepared the sciatic nerve injury model. The sham group exposed sciatic nerve only. Tuina group received Tuina on Yinmen (BL37), Chengshan (BL57) and Yanglingquan (GB34) with Tuina manipulation emulator. The photothermal pain threshold was measured seven days after modeling and after 20 days of intervention; cumulative pain score was measured seven days after modeling, and after ten days and 20 days of intervention. The spinal dorsal horn tissues were extracted to detect the protein and mRNA expression of CX3CL1/CX3CR1 with Western blotting and RT-PCR seven days after modeling and after 20 days of intervention. The microglia morphology in spinal dorsal horn was observed with immunofluorescence after 20 days of intervention. Results:Seven days after modeling, compared with the normal group, the photothermal pain tolerance threshold increased in the model group and the sham group (P < 0.05); compared with the sham group, the cumulative pain score increased in the model group and Tuina group (P < 0.05). After ten days of intervention, the cumulative pain score was lower in Tuina group than in the model group (P < 0.05). After 20 days of intervention, both the photothermal pain tolerance threshold and cumulative pain score were lower in Tuina group than in the model group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression of CX3CL1/CX3CR1 protein and mRNA on the seven days after modeling and after 20 days of intervention (P > 0.05). The microglia in the model group were partially activated or completely activated, while those in Tuina group were unactivated or partially activated after 20 days of intervention. Conclusion:Three Handing-Three Points can improve the pain function of sciatic nerve injured rats, which may associate with regulating microglia through the pathway other than CX3CL1/CX3CR1.