Objective To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture on the expressions of in-terleukin(IL)-33 and ST2 in spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion in rats with neuropathic pain. Methods Forty adult female SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group (group Sham),model group (group MC),ipsilateral electroacupuncture group (group SE)and contralateral electroacupuncture group (group VE).Each group had 10.The sciatic nerve injury models were es-tablished.The rats in group SE and group VE were respectively accepted electrical acupuncture treat-ment in Yanglingquan and Zusanli in the right and left limbs.Respectively,before treatment (T0 ), treated for 7 d (T1 ),3 d (T2 )and 7 d (T3 )after treatment,the MWT and TWL of rats in the four groups were measured.At T3 ,the expressions of IL-33 in spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion in rats were detected by using quantitative PCR.Results Compared with T0 ,MWT and TWL in group MC, group SE and group VE at T1-T3 were decreased significantly (P < 0.05).Compared with sham group,MWT in group SE and group VE,TWL in group MC,group SE and group VE at T1-T3 were decreased significantly (P <0.05).Compared with group MC,MWT and TWL in group SE and group VE at T2 ,T3 were increased significantly (P <0.05).Compared with sham group,the relative expression levels of IL-33 mRNA and ST2 mRNA in spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion in the group MC,group SE and group VE were elevated,the differences were statistically significant (P <0.05). Compared with group MC,the relative expression levels of IL-33 mRNA and ST2 mRNA in spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion group SE and group VE were decreased,the differences were statistical-ly significant (P <0.05).Conclusion The electroacupuncture treatment could significantly reduce the pain symptoms of neuropathic pain in rats,possibly via inhibiting the expressions of IL-33 and ST2 in spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion and blocking the IL-33/ST2 mediated inflammatory to play role.

Objective To compare and evaluate the methods of building model of cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type (CSA)rats by measuring the learning and memory ability,anxiety and depression,and degree of nervous tension of three kinds of CSA model rats.Methods We randomly divided 120 rats into mixed modeling group,bone graft compression modeling group,mechanical balance disorder modeling group,and blank control group with 30 rats in each.Morris water maze,elevated plus maze test and open field test were used to detect and compare the rats’abilities of learning and memory,anxiety and depression,and degree of nervous tension.We then evaluated the three CSA rat models.Results Compared with those in the blank group,the learning and memory abilities in the mixed modeling, bone graft compression and mechanical balance disorder modeling rats were significantly decreased,the anxiety and depression and degree of nervous tension were significantly increased (P<0.05).Compared with bone graft compression and mechanical balance disorder modeling groups,the mixed modeling group could restore the characteristics of CSA.Conclusion The three kinds of modeling methods can successfully reproduce the CSA animal model;the mixed modeling is superior and thus worthy of promotion.

Osteoarthritis （OA） is a common chronic， highly prevalent， painful， and disabling degenerative joint disease. It has imposed a heavy burden on social healthcare and patients' psychology and economy due to its clinical symptoms such as impaired joint mobility and severe joint pain and the immature therapies. Studies have shown that OA is closely associated with articular cartilage dysfunction， synthesis and degradation disorders of chondrocyte extracellular matrix （ECM）， and joint inflammation. Moderate autophagy can restore the function of damaged chondrocytes， regulate chondrocyte apoptosis， and promote the synthesis and metabolism of ECM to alleviate the inflammation of joints and delay the onset and progression of OA. According to the clinical symptoms， OA can be classified into the category of impediment in traditional Chinese medicine. With the theories of holistic conception， treatment based on syndrome differentiation， and individualised diagnosis and treatment， traditional Chinese medicine has demonstrated definite effects in the treatment of OA in thousands of years of practice. Moreover， traditional Chinese medicine causes mild adverse reactions， and the patients have high tolerance and acceptance. This paper briefly explains the roles of autophagy and the related regulatory proteins， such as Unc-51-like autophagy-activated kinase 1 （ULK1）， Beclin-1， and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 （LC3）， and details the latest research achievements in the prevention and control of OA by traditional Chinese medicines and its related markers via the regulation of autophagy， so as to provide a idea for the in-depth research in this field and the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine in preventing and treating OA.

Osteoarthritis （OA）， rheumatoid arthritis （RA）， gouty arthritis （GA）， and intervertebral disc degeneration （IVDD） are the most common bone and joint-related diseases in clinical practice. They can all affect related joints， leading to joint pain， swelling， dysfunction， and other symptoms. The difference is that OA is mainly caused by joint wear and age-related degradation and is manifested as joint pain， stiffness， and limited movement. RA is an autoimmune disease， manifested as joint pain， swelling， morning stiffness， and systemic symptoms. GA is caused by abnormal uric acid metabolism， manifested as acute arthritis， and IVDD is caused by intervertebral disc degeneration. Studies have shown that the mechanism of the occurrence and development of these bone and joint diseases is extremely complex. Pyroptosis is closely related to these bone and joint-related diseases by participating in bone and joint inflammation， cartilage metabolism imbalance， extracellular matrix degradation， and pathological damage of bone and joint. Inhibition of bone and joint-related pyroptosis will effectively prevent and treat bone and joint-related diseases. At the same time， many studies have confirmed that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has a prominent curative effect and obvious advantages in the prevention and treatment of bone and joint-related diseases. TCM can reduce the inflammatory reaction of bone and joints， improve the pathological damage of bone and joint diseases， and relieve bone and joint pain by inhibiting pyroptosis. Therefore， this article aims to briefly explain the relationship between pyroptosis and the occurrence and development of bone and joint-related diseases and summarize the latest research reports on the intervention of pyroptosis in the treatment of bone and joint-related diseases by TCM monomers， TCM extracts， and TCM compounds. It offers new ideas for the in-depth study of the pathogenesis and drug treatment of bone and joint diseases and provides a basis for the clinical use of TCM to prevent and treat bone and joint diseases.