a-visualized-sensitized-acupoint-procedure-for-knee-osteoarthritis

A Visualized Sensitized Acupoint Procedure for Knee Osteoarthritis: Behavioral, Thermal, and Molecular Assessments

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA), a leading cause of musculoskeletal pain and functional disability worldwide, remains challenging to manage due to the limited ...

Beijing University of Chinese Medicine

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a commonly occurring and severe form of central nervous system (CNS) injury. Previous studies have demonstrated that electroacupuncture (EA) therapy promotes recovery from SCI. In this study, we observed changes in the glial scars of rats with SCI to gain insight into how EA therapy positively influences locomotor function. The experimental rats were randomly divided into three groups: the sham group, the SCI group and the SCI + EA group. Rats in the SCI + EA group received a 28-day treatment course using the Dazhui (GV14) acupoint and the Mingmen (GV4) acupoint for 20 min/day. The Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) score was used to estimate the neural function of rats in all groups. We found that before sacrifice on Day 28, the BBB score was significantly improved in the SCI + EA group, which was higher than that observed in the SCI group. Hematoxylin-eosin staining revealed morphological improvements in spinal cord tissues of the rats in the EA + SCI group with reduced glial scars and cavities. Based on immunofluorescence staining, reactive astrocytes overpopulated both the SCI and SCI + EA groups following SCI. Moreover, improved generation of reactive astrocytes at lesions was observed in the SCI + EA group compared with the SCI group. After treatment, EA inhibited glial scar generation. EA effectively downregulated fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin protein and mRNA expression levels, according to the results from Western blot assays and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We hypothesized that these findings described might represent the mechanism underlying EA inhibition of glial scar generation, morphological improvements in tissues and promotion of neural recovery from SCI in rats.

Effects of electroacupuncture on glial scar generation in SCI model rats.

To observe the effect of electroacupuncture(EA) on activities of A2 type astrocytes(A2s)and A1 type astrocytes (A1s) , expressions of neurofilament protein 200 (NF-200, a marker of axon regeneration), nexin 1(NL1, a marker of synaptic regeneration), and regeneration of Nissl bodies in rats with spinal cord injury (SCI), so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of SCI.

[Influence of electroacupuncture of "Dazhui"（GV14） and "Mingmen" （GV4） on expressions of NL1 and NF-200 in spinal cord injury rats].

To investigate the effect of "Tongdu Qishen" acupuncture［dredging the Govern Vessel and normalizing mental activities, electroacupuncture (EA) of "Baihui" (GV20), "Yintang" (EX-HN3) and "Shuigou" (GV26) needling］on the learning-memory ability and the mechanism of ferroptosis in Alzheimer's disease (AD) mice.

Effect of "Tongdu Qishen" acupuncture on expressions of ferroptosis-related factors in the hippocampus of APPswe/PS1dE9 Mice.

To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of "Dazhui"(GV14) and "Mingmen" (GV4) of the Governor Vessel (GV) on the apoptosis of neurons in rats with spinal cord injury (SCI) by regulating the expression of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) protein and its phosphorylation level, so as to reveal partial mechanism for the treatment of SCI with EA of GV.

Article	Year
Effects of electroacupuncture on glial scar generation in SCI model rats. Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007)\| PubMed ID: 36866416	2023
[Influence of electroacupuncture of "Dazhui"（GV14） and "Mingmen" （GV4） on expressions of NL1 and NF-200 in spinal cord injury rats]. Zhen ci yan jiu = Acupuncture research\| PubMed ID: 37730261	2023
Effect of "Tongdu Qishen" acupuncture on expressions of ferroptosis-related factors in the hippocampus of APPswe/PS1dE9 Mice. Zhen ci yan jiu = Acupuncture research\| PubMed ID: 38146246	2023
[Electroacupuncture reduces neuronal apoptosis in rats with spinal cord injury by regulating GSK-3β expression and its phosphorylation]. Zhen ci yan jiu = Acupuncture research\| PubMed ID: 39557430	2024

Xiaoming Gao

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