Effect of Jiaji electroacupuncture on spinal cord injury repair based on the GFAP/STAT3 pathway
10.12007/j.issn.0258-4646.2024.10.006
- VernacularTitle:基于GFAP/STAT3通路探讨夹脊电针对脊髓损伤修复的作用
- Author:
Ling MA
1
;
Chao WU
;
Shan JIANG
Author Information
1. 锦州医科大学体育与运动康复学院民族传统体育教研室,辽宁 锦州 121001
- Keywords:
Jiaji electroacupuncture;
spinal cord injury;
GFAP/STAT3;
neuronal apoptosis
- From:
Journal of China Medical University
2024;53(10):900-906
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective To investigate the mechanism underlying the Jiaji electroacupuncture(EA)-induced improvement in neuronal apoptosis among rats with spinal cord injury(SCI).Methods Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham,SCI,EA,and EA+colivelin groups(n=10 each).Allen's modified heavy-fall method was used to prepare the animal model of SCI.The clamped-spine EA group was treated with EA at the paraspinal clamped spine points at the vertebral bodies of T7_9 at the upper and lower ends of the spinal cord injury on the backs of the rats.The Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan score and slope test were used to evaluate the rats'locomotor abilities;TUNEL staining was used to detect changes in neuronal apoptosis in the spinal cord;immunofluorescence was used to detect changes in glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP)expression in the rats'spinal cord tissues;and Western blotting was used to detect the relative expressions of GFAP,phospho-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(p-STAT3),STAT3,and cleaved caspase-3 pro-tein expression in spinal cord tissues.Results The mean Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan score was higher in the EA compared with SCI group(P＜0.01).The mean angle on the slant plate test was smaller in the EA compared with sham group(P＜0.001).The mean angle was slightly larger in the EA compared with SCI group(P＜0.01).GFAP-positive,p-STAT3,cleaved caspase-3 protein,and inflammatory cytokine expressions were significantly increased(P＜0.05)and the number of neuronal apoptotic cells was increased(P＜0.01)in the SCI compared with sham group.However,the opposite trend was observed in the EA group.In addition,the therapeutic effect of spinal EA on spinal cord injury was reversed after colivelin administration(P＜0.05).Conclusion EA reduces neuronal apoptosis and improves motor and balance functions in the spinal cord tissues of rats with SCI,possibly via GFAP/STAT3 pathway inhibition.
