Mechanism Study on Electroacupuncture in Reconstructing the Neurologic Function in Mice after Spinal Cord Injury / 上海针灸杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the effect of electroacupuncture at thoracic Jiaji points (EX-B 2) on the Behavior Measurement Scale (BMS) score, and expressions of nestin and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in spinal cord in mice after spinal cord injury, and to explore the action mechanism of electroacupuncture in protecting nerves and recovering motor function.Method Ninety-six female C57BL/6 mice were randomized into a sham operation group, a spinal cord injury group, an electroacupuncture group, and an acupuncture group, 24 mice in each group. Except for the sham operation group, spinal cord injury at T9 level was induced in the other three groups. The electroacupuncture group was intervened by electroacupuncture at Jiaji points (EX-B 2) of T7 and T11, and the acupuncture group received manual acupuncture at the same acupoints. The intervention was conducted 15 min each time, once a day, with 1 d interval every 5 d, for a total of 28 d. The BMS score was evaluated respectively after 3 d, 7 d, 14 d, and 28 d intervention. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was adopted to detect the expression ofnestin in spinal cord, and immunofluorescence and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of GFAP in spinal cord.Result Respectively 14 d and 28 d after spinal cord injury, the main and auxiliary scores of BMS in the acupuncture group were significantly higher than those in the spinal cord injury group (P<0.05); 28 d after spinal cord injury, the main and auxiliary scores of BMS in the acupuncture group were significantly higher than those in the spinal cord injury group (P<0.05) and the auxiliary BMS score in the electroacupuncture group was significantly higher than that in the acupuncture group (P<0.05). Respectively 3 d, 7 d, and 14 d after spinal cord injury, the contents of nestin in the electroacupuncture group were obviously increased and significantly different from those in the spinal cord injury group (P<0.05). The nestin content of the acupuncture group was significantly higher than that of the spinal cord injury group 7 d and 14 d after spinal cord injury (P<0.05). The expression of GFAP in the electro-acupuncture group was significantly higher than that in the spinal cord injury group 3 d and 7 d after spinal cord injury (P<0.05); the inhibitions on the immunoreactivity of GFAP in the electroacupuncture group and acupuncture group were more significant than the inhibition in the spinal cord injury group 28 d after the injury (P<0.05).Conclusion Electroacupuncture at Jiaji points (EX-B 2) can promote the recovery of motor function after spinal cord injury, which is related to the enhancement of the expressions of nestin and GFAP within 7 d after the injury, and the two expressions are in a positive correlation. In the early stage of treatment, electroacupuncture can boost the activity of astrocytes to act as neural stem cells and inhibit the immunoreactivity of GFAP in the later stage to benefit the reconstruction of neurologic function.