RESUMO
Objective To explore the effect of eletroacupuncture (EA) on angiogenesis after cerebral ischemia and reperfusion through observing the number of peripheral blood endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the hippocampus.Methods Among 50 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats,10 were randomly selected as a control group (CG).Qi deficiency and blood stasis were induced in the other 40 rats by intragastric administration of dahuang daily for 7 days.A model of focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury was then created by thread-occlusion of the middle cerebral artery,except in 10 rats selected for the sham operation group (SOG) who received the same operation without tightening the thread.The successfully modeled rats were divided into a model group (MG,n =10) and an electroacupuncture group (EAG,n =10).The rats in EAG started acupuncture treatment the next day after modeling,while no treatment was given to those in the other groups.On day 1,3 and 7 after the modeling,the neurological functioning of the 4 groups was assessed using Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan locomotion scoring and the number of EPCs in the peripheral circulation was detected by flow cytometry.On the 8th day,all the rats were decapitated and the VEGF expression was detected immunohistochemically.Results The average BBB locomotion score of the EAG rose significantly from (4.50 ± 1.05) on day 1,to (13.67 ± 1.21) on day 3,and then further to (20.00 ±0.89) by day 7,significantly higher than that of MG at the same time points,but still significantly lower than that of the control group.The average number of EPCs in the peripheral circulation in the MG also increased from (26.83 ± 6.05) on day 1 to (33.67 ± 5.39) on day 3,and decreased to (32.83 ± 5.04) on day 7 after modeling,significantly lower than that of the CG [(45.50 ±9.40),(42.17 ±4.62) and (41.33 ±5.50)],the SOG [(58.00 ±8.05),(59.67±4.84) and (53.83 ±5.38)[and the EAG [(66.17 ±4.36),(127.50 ±73.75) and (55.00 ±35.15)] at each time point.After occlusion,the average expression of VEGF-positive cells in the hippocampus of the EAG [(27.80 ± 2.39)％] was significantly higher than that of the MG,and both were significantly higher than that of the CG.Conclusions Eletroacupuncture can up-regulate VEGF expression and EPCs in the peripheral blood in rats after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion,which can promote angiogenesis and neural functional recovery.
RESUMO
Objective: To explore the mechanism of anti-aging effect of acupuncture at Zusanli (ST 36). Methods: Thirty mice of 28 weeks old were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group, model group and acupuncture group. Sub-acute aging model was established by subcutaneous injection of D-galactose. The activity of Superoxide Dismutase(SOD) and content of serum Malondialdehyde(MDA) were measured. Morphological changes of jejunal mucosa were observed with light microscope. Result: SOD activity in the acupuncture group was highest among the three groups, whereas, MDA content was the lowest. In the model group, the ratio of normal intestinal villus was decreased, the intestinal villus was shrunk, and there were more epithelial cells desquamated. In acupuncture group, there were less abnormal intestinal villus and epithelial cell. Conclusion: Acupuncture at Zusanli (ST 36) has an effect in resisting aging by increasing the activity of serum SOD, decreasing the MDA contents, and improving the intestinal villus.
