This study elaborately describes a modeling method for cervical spondylosis in rats and an acupotomy intervention strategy, providing a visualized operational protocol for relevant research.
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Method Article
* These authors contributed equally
This study elaborately describes a modeling method for cervical spondylosis in rats and an acupotomy intervention strategy, providing a visualized operational protocol for relevant research.
Cervical spondylosis (CS) is a chronic degenerative disease. Degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs of the cervical spine, along with subsequent pathological alterations, affect surrounding tissues and structures, leading to clinical manifestations such as neck pain, stiffness, limited mobility, and occasionally numbness and radiating symptoms in the upper limbs. Among these, nerve root compression is the most common. Therefore, this study established a rat model of CS induced by cervical nerve root compression. Acupotomy therapy has shown potential in clinical CS treatment by releasing local soft tissue adhesions and alleviating nerve compression. However, there is currently a lack of visualized procedural protocols in animal experiments. This study provides a detailed description of a reliable method for establishing a rat model of CS and the corresponding acupotomy intervention protocol. In this procedure, we elaborate on the model induction process, the steps of acupotomy manipulation, therapeutic localization, rat restraint techniques, and critical precautions. Additionally, this study used electromyography (EMG) to confirm the successful establishment of the CS model and evaluated the intervention through mechanical withdrawal thresholds, gait analysis, and nerve root histopathology. This research not only provides a reference for the establishment of the CS rat model and acupotomy intervention but also offers a systematic and feasible experimental framework for future studies investigating the mechanisms of action.
Cervical spondylosis (CS) is a common degenerative spinal disease. Its core pathological process originates from the degeneration of intervertebral discs, which further triggers a series of secondary pathological changes, including intervertebral space stenosis, osteophyte formation, and ligament hypertrophy1,2. These pathological alterations result in a variety of clinical symptoms, such as soreness and pain in the neck and shoulders, and radiating numbness in the upper extremities. In severe cases, neurological impairments may occur, including motor dysfunction and even tetraplegia2
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All experimental procedures were reviewed, approved, and stringently monitored by the Laboratory Animal Ethics Committee of Beijing MDKN Biotech Company (Approval ID: MDKN-2025-096). All protocols were conducted in strict accordance with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The reagents and equipment employed in this study are listed in the Table of Materials.
1. Experimental animals and groups
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Mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) assessments demonstrated comparable baseline values across all groups prior to model induction. On the 3rd day after modeling and sham operation, no significant difference was observed between the sham group and the control group (p > 0.05). In contrast, both the model and acupotomy groups exhibited a marked reduction in MWT relative to the sham group (p < 0.01, Figure 4). Upon completion of treatment, the acupotomy group showed a.......
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The selection of an appropriate animal model is a prerequisite for elucidating the pathogenesis of cervical spondylosis (CS) and for rigorously evaluating therapeutic interventions. Currently, the intravertebral nylon suture method is widely adopted due to its advantages of relative simplicity, short modeling cycle, and high reproducibility and reliability15,20. In this approach, a compressive material is implanted into the rat spinal canal to exert continuous co.......
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All authors have declared no potential conflicts of interest.
This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2023YFC3502703) and the Key Project of the Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation Innovation and Development Joint Fund (Grant No. 2024AFD271).
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| Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 mL syringe | Hebei Yunsheng Biotechnology Co., Ltd | SN-04442 | |
| 1 mL syringe | Shanghai Zhiyu Medical Equipment Co., LTD | ZSQ-1 | |
| 4-0 Suture with Needle, Single-armed (4×12) | GLASS | JZZSX193 | |
| 75% alcohol | Shandong Anjie Gaoke Disinfection Technology Co. LTD | 75-500ml | |
| Acupotomy Needle | Beijing Huaxia Blue Chip Biotechnology Co., Ltd. | HY0440 | |
| Adherent slide | CITOTEST | 188105 | |
| Biological Signal Acquisition and Analysis System | Techman | BL-420N | |
| Biological Signal Acquisition and Analysis System (Software) | Techman | BL-420N Version 3.0.0.237 | |
| Cover glass | Citotest Labware Manufacturing Co.,Ltd | 10212432C | |
| Dehydrator | DIAPATH | Donatello | |
| Electronic balance | Mettler-Toledo | ME203E/02 | |
| Electrothermal blast drying oven | Labotery | GEL-70 | |
| Embedding machine | Wuhan Junjie Electronics Co., Ltd | JB-P5 | |
| Environmental Friendly Dewaxing Transparent Liquid | Servicebio | G1128-1L | |
| ESD-Safe Black Stainless Steel Tweezers (Curved Tip) | solomen | ESD-15 | |
| Ethanol | SCRC | 100092683 | |
| Fat-free cotton ball | Caoxian Hualu Sanitary Material Co. LTD | TZMQ-500 | |
| Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) HD constant dye kit | Servicebio | G1076 | |
| Hemostatic Forceps | solomen | B0557 | |
| IBM SPSS Statistics | IBM Corporation | Version 22.0 | |
| Imaging system | Nikon | NIKON DS-U3 | |
| Iodophor | Shandong Anjie Gaoke Disinfection Technology Co. LTD | DF-500 | |
| Isoflurane | RWD life science | R510-22-10 | |
| Latex gloves | Beijing Ruijing Latex Products Co. LTD | RJJC-S | |
| Mechanical Paw Poking Test Device | Kew basis | KW-CT-1 | |
| Medical forceps | AIZANCHENG | AZN00008 | |
| Mosquito hemostatic forceps | Servicebio | QX1310D | |
| Neutral gum | SCRC | 10004160 | |
| Normal saline solution | SHIMEN | SLYS-500ml | |
| Ophthalmic scissors | solomen | B0754 | |
| Paraffin liquid | Macklin | 8012-95-1 | |
| Paraformaldehyde Fixative (Neutral) | Servicebio | G1101 | |
| Pathology slicer | Shanghai Leica Instrument Co., Ltd | RM2016 | |
| Penicillin G Sodium for Injection | Jilin Huamu Animal Health Product Co., Ltd. | Veterinary Drug Approval No.070011248 | |
| Poly-L-lysine solution | Shanghai Yuanye Biotechnology Co., Ltd. | R23126-50ml | |
| Rodent Clipper | solomen | B1564 | |
| Rodent Gait Imaging and Analysis System | Clever | TreadScan; BCamCapture | |
| Rodent Gait Imaging and Analysis System (Software) | Clever | TreadScan Version 4.00; BCamCapture Version 3.00 | |
| SD rats | Beijing Sibefei Biotechnology Co., Ltd | A102 | |
| Small Animal Anesthesia Machine | YuYAN | ABM | |
| Steam sterilizer (autoclave) | Yamato | SQ810C | |
| Surgical Blade | solomen | B1177 | |
| Surgical mask | winner | WJKZ-1 | |
| Surgical needle holder | solomen | B0772 | |
| Surgical scissors | GLASS | JZZSX-ZC544R | |
| Tissue spreader | Zhejiang Kehua Instrument Co., Ltd | KD-P | |
| Ultrapure Water Polishing System | Aiken water El | AK-RO-C2 | |
| Universal tissue fixative (neutral) | Servicebio | G1101-15ML | |
| Upright optical microscope | Nikon | NIKON ECLIPSE E100 | |
| Xylene | SCRC | 10023418 |
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