Ligustrazine relieves spinal cord inflammation in rats with lumbar disc herniation by regulating PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway
10.16557/j.cnki.1000-7547.2025.04.011
- VernacularTitle:川芎嗪通过调节PI3K/Akt/NF-κB通路缓解腰椎间盘突出症大鼠的脊髓炎症反应
- Author:
Gaixia YAN
1
;
Yan MENG
;
Juan ZHANG
;
Shuxia LIN
;
Hui ZHANG
Author Information
1. 山西大同大学中医药健康服务学院,大同 037009
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
tetramethylpyrazine(TMP);
PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway;
lumbar disc herniation(LDH);
spinal cord inflammation;
rat
- From:
Chinese Journal of Neuroanatomy
2025;41(4):493-500
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To investigate the effects of tetramethylpyrazine(TMP)on spinal cord inflammation and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/serine-threonine kinase/nuclear factor-κB(PI3K/Akt/NF-κB)signaling pathway in rats with lumbar disc herniation(LDH).Methods:The rats were divided into Control group,lumbar disc herniation group(LDH group),TMP low-dose,high-dose group(TMP-L,TMP-H group),TMP high-dose+PI3K inhibitor group(TMP-H+LY294002 group)by random number table method.LDH rat model was established by autologous nucleus pulposus transplantation and treated with corresponding drugs.After administration,the pain threshold of rats in each group was measured by paw tactile tester and plantar thermal stimulation tester.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining was used to observe the histomorphological changes of dorsal root ganglion.Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to measure the levels of tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α),interleukin-1β(IL-1β)and interleukin-6(IL-6)in the spinal dorsal horn.Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of ionized calcium binding adapter molecule 1(Iba-1)and c-Fos in the spinal dorsal horn.Western blot was used to detect the expression of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway related proteins,and the ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K,p-Akt/Akt and p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 were calculated.Results:At 24h before intervention,the paw withdrawal mechanical threshold(PWMT)and paw withdrawal thermal latency(PWTL)in the LDH group were lower than those in the Control group(P<0.05).At 24h after intervention,compared with Control group,the LDH group had severe nucleus deviation,blurred nucleoli,large amount of inflammatory cell infiltration and obvious cell swelling,decreased PWMT,PWTL,p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt,and increased levels of TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6 and Iba-1,c-Fos and p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65(P<0.05).Com-pared with the LDH group,the neurons had less nuclear deviation,clearer nucleoli,less cell swelling and inflammatory cell infiltration in the TMP-L group and TMP-H group,and the PWMT,PWTL,p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt were in-creased in turn,while the levels of TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6 and Iba-1,c-Fos,p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 were decreased in turn(P<0.05).Compared with the TMP-H group,the TMP-H+LY294002 group had more severe pathological dam-age of neurons,obvious nuclear deviation,blurred nucleoli,cell swelling and inflammatory cell infiltration,decreased PWMT,PWTL,p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt,and increased levels of TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6 and Iba-1,c-Fos and p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65(P<0.05).Conclusion:TMP can inhibit the activation of microglia and the expression of Iba-1 and c-Fos,and improve spinal cord inflammation in LDH rats,and its mechanism may be related to the regulation of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway.
