Influence of Scalp Point-through-point Acupuncture on 200 kDa Neurofilament Protein in Rats with Acute Cerebral Infarction / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the effect of scalp point-through-point acupuncture on 200 kDa neurofilament protein (NF-200) in rats with acute cerebral infarction and explore its mechanism on nerve plasticity in cerebral infarction rats. Methods: Healthy male Wistar rats were randomly allocated to sham operation (Group A), model (Group B) and acupuncture (Group C) groups. A rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model of cerebral ischemia was made. NF-200 mRNA was measured by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in each group on the 7th, 14th and 28th days. Results: The cerebral expression of NF-200 in group C was significantly different from those in groups A and B (P＜0.05); there was a significant difference between groups C and B or A at different time windows (P＜0.01),indicating that scalp point-through-point acupuncture could improve the cerebral expression of NF-200. Conclusion: Scalp point-through-point acupuncture can improve neural function,promote the recovery of limb function and increase the expression of NF-200 after cerebral ischemia, exerting a regulative effect on neuronal plasticity in the brain.