Effects of electroacupuncture combined with hydrogel on the formation and changes in the glial scar in rats with spinal cord injury
- Author:
Yang KAITAN
1
;
Gao YUSHAN
;
Yang YONGDONG
;
Li CHUANHONG
;
Cao ZHENG
;
Wang XIUMEI
;
Li ZAIBO
;
Yu XING
Author Information
1. Ward Three,Department of Orthopedics,Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Dongzhimen Hospital,100010,Beijing,China
- Keywords:
Spinal cord injury;
Glial scar;
Astrocytes;
Electroacupuncture;
Jiaji acupoints;
Hydrogel
- From:
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences
2022;9(2):197-205
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To observe the effect of electroacupuncture(EA)combined with oriented conductive bio-protein hydrogel(OCBH)on the recovery of nerve function in rats with complete spinal cord injury(SCI)and to explore its effect and mechanism on the formation and changes of glial scars.Methods:A total of 72 female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into groups according to the treatment received.A rat model of complete SCI was constructed using a spinal cord transection.Behavioral assessments,hematoxylin-eosin(H&E)staining,immunofluorescence staining,and Western blotting were performed at a fixed period after the operation.Results:The material group and the material+EA group obtained better results in the behavioral as-sessments(all P＜.05)and the H&E staining.In the immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting,the GFAP protein was expressed more and denser in the material group and the material+EA group than in the model group,and the density of the GFAP expression in the material+EA group was lower at week 12 than in the material group(all P＜.05).The expression of complement C3 in the model,material,and material+EA groups decreased in turn.Some inflammatory factors and the NF-kB signaling pathway showed similar results in the Western blotting(all P＜.05).The expression of the GDNF protein in the material+EA group was significantly higher than that in the model group and the material group(both P＜.01).Conclusion:EA combined with OCBH can promote the recovery of motor functions after SCI by facili-tating the formation of glial scars in the early stage,preventing the further spread of an inflammatory response that would affect the activation of A1/A2 astrocytes and change the morphology of glial scars at the spinal cord-material interface in its late stage.
