ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of scalp acupuncture Yikang therapy on Baihui (GV20), Sishencong (EX-HN1), Zhisanzhen, Niesanzhen, on neurobehavior in young rats with cerebral palsy based on Notch signaling pathway. METHODS: Thirty 7-day-old rats were randomly divided into sham, model and acupuncture, 10 rats in each group. The cerebral palsy model was established by the accepted modeling method, the acupuncture group selected "Baihui (GV20)", "Sishencong (EX-HN1)", "Zhisanzhen" and "Niesanzhen" for intervention 24 h after the model was made. The body masses were recorded before and after the treatment, respectively. After the intervention, the rats were subjected to suspension experiment, slope experiment, tactile stimulation experiment and Morris water maze experiment. After the end of the experiment, the morphological changes of hippocampal histology were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining under light microscope, and the expression of Notch1, Notch3 and Hes5 were detected by Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: The changes in body mass of the rats in each group were different; in behavioral experiments, compared with the sham, the suspension time of the model was shortened, the slope experiment, tactile stimulation experiment, and escape latency time were prolonged, and the number of platform crossing was reduced in the model, compared with the model, the suspension time of the acupuncture was prolonged, the slope experiment, tactile stimulation experiment, and escape latency time were shortened, and the number of platform crossing times was increased; HE staining showed severe hippocampal damage in the model and reduced hippocampal damage in the acupuncture. Western Blot and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR showed that the expression of Notch1, Notch3 and Hes5 were increased in the model and the expression of Notch1, Notch3, Hes5 in acupuncture were decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Scalp acupuncture Yikang therapy may improve neurobehavior and reduce brain injury in rats with cerebral palsy by downregulating the expression of Notch1, Notch3, and Hes5.
