Protection Cartilage Injury and Alleviate Knee Osteoarthritis Pain of Electroacupuncture Combined with Massage in Osteoarthritis Rat Model
- VernacularTitle:电针联合推拿对骨关节炎大鼠模型的保护软骨损伤并减轻膝骨关节炎疼痛作用研究
- Author:
Yang LIU
1
;
Xiaona XUE
;
Yanan LYU
;
Sheng GUO
;
Peidong WEI
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords: Knee Osteoarthritis; Electroacupuncture; Massage; Cartilage injury; Knee joint pain; Hippo YAP signaling pathway
- From: World Science and Technology-Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;27(1):292-300
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
- Abstract: Objective The protective effect and molecular mechanism of electroacupuncture combined with massage on cartilage damage in knee Osteoarthritis rats were explored.Methods 50 SD rats were selected and divided into a control group,a model group,an electroacupuncture group,a massage group,and an electroacupuncture+massage group of 10 rats each using an odd even number method.The rats in the control group were not treated with modeling,and the rats in the other groups were injected with Papain into the articular cavity to build the right knee Osteoarthritis(KOA)model.The massage and electroacupuncture groups were intervened with electroacupuncture and massage for 2 weeks.The improved Le-quesne MG scale was used to evaluate the behavioral performance of rats.The pressure pain value and heat pain threshold of rats before and after intervention were calculated.After eight weeks,the rats were euthanized and abdominal aortic blood was collected.The serum levels of pain mediators(K+),5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT),and dopamine(DA)were measured by ELISA in each group of rats.The right knee joint of rats was taken for HE staining Mankin score,TUNEL chondrocyte apoptosis analysis.Toluidine blue staining was used to observe the changes of cartilage matrix polysaccharide;Western blot was used to detect the concentration and expression of cartilage matrix factor type Ⅱ collagen(Collagen Ⅱ),C-terminal peptide(CTX Ⅱ),type Ⅱ collagen C-precursor peptide(CPⅡ),apoptosis related proteins Bax,Bcl-2,Cleared caspase-3,YAP,p-YAP in the knee joint tissues of rats in each group.Results After the establishment of the KOA model,the Lequesne MG score of rats increased significantly(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the Lequesne MG scores of rats in the electroacupuncture group and massage group decreased significantly(P<0.05).The combination of the two can further reduce the Lequesne MG score significantly(P<0.05).Compared with the control group,the pain threshold(TWL,MWT)of the model group was downregulated significantly,and the levels of serum pain factors(K+,DA,5-HT)were upregulated significantly(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the pain thresholds(TWL,MWT)of the electroacupuncture group and the massage group were upregulated significantly,while the levels of serum pain factors(K+,DA,5-HT)were downregulated significantly(P<0.05).The combination of the two reflected the highest pain threshold(TWL,MWT)and the lowest serum pain factor(K+,DA,5-HT)levels.The model group rats had significant joint cartilage fissures,cartilage matrix staining and staining area decreased,and Markin score and cell apoptosis ability were improved(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the arrangement degree of the cartilage layer,staining degree of the cartilage matrix,and staining area of the electroacupuncture group and massage group were all improved,while the Markin score and cell apoptosis rate all decreased significantly(P<0.05).The combination can further reduce the Markin score and the degree of chondrocyte apoptosis(P<0.05).Compared with the control group,the expression of Collagen Ⅱ,CPⅡ,Bcl-2,and p-YAP proteins in the model group decreased significantly,while the expression of CTX Ⅱ,Bax,and Cleared caspase-3 proteins increased significantly(P<0.05).Conclusion The combination of electroacupuncture and massage intervention can significantly improve the pathological state of cartilage injury in rats with osteoarthritis,reduce knee joint pain,inhibit chondrocyte apoptosis,and play a protective role in cartilage injury.Its molecular mechanism may be related to the activation of Hippo YAP signaling pathway,which is worth further research in clinical practice.
