Electroacupuncture stimulation of the head relieves motor function impairment in rats modeling cerebral palsy / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To observe any effect of electroacupuncture in the head motor area on motor impairment and JAK2/STAT3 signaling in rats modeling cerebral palsy.Methods:Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group, a model group and an electroacupuncture group, each of 10. A model of cerebral palsy was induced in the model and electroacupuncture groups, while the sham operation group was not ligated in a sham operation. The motor functioning of all of the rats was evaluated 24h and 21d after the modeling using the Basso, Beattie Bresnahan locomotor rating scale (BBB scale). At 21d all of the rats were sacrificed and their brain tissues were collected. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe any pathological changes in the cerebral cortex, and fluorescence quantitative PCRs were employed to detect the mRNA expression of apoptotic gene B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated x-protein (Bax), and cysteine-aspartate protein hydrolase-3 (Caspase-3). ELISA was used to detect the mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interferon-γ(IFN-γ), and the oxidative stress indicators superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and malondialdehyde (MDA). Western blotting was applied to detect the expression of JAK2, STAT3, p-JAK2 and p-STAT3.Results:The average BBB motor function score, Bcl-2 mRNA expression, SOD and T-AOC of the model group were all significantly lower than that of the sham-operated group at 21d. The average expression of Caspase-3 mRNA, TNF-α, IL-1β and IFN-γ, were significantly greater as were MDA content, p-JAK2, and p-STAT3 levels. The average BBB motor function score of the electroacupuncture group was significantly higher than the model group′s average, but caspase-3 mRNA expression, TNF-α, IL-1β, IFN-γ, MDA, p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 were all significantly lower.Conclusion:Electroacupuncture applied to the head motor area relieves motor function impairment in rats modeling cerebral palsy. That may be related to inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway′s activation resulting in less apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress.