Effects of Electroacupuncture at Governor Vessel Acupoints on Neurotrophin-3 in Rats with Experimental Spinal Cord Injury

Neural Plasticity, 2016 · DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2371875 · Published: July 17, 2016

Spinal Cord Injury Alternative Medicine Neurology

Simple Explanation

This study investigates electroacupuncture (EA) as a treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats. SCI was induced in rats, and they were then treated with EA at specific acupoints. The study looked at how EA affected the rats' motor function, nerve structure, and levels of a protein called neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). The results showed that EA helped the rats recover motor function, restored nerve structure, reduced nerve cell death, and increased NT-3 levels. This suggests that EA may protect nerves and help them recover after SCI, possibly by increasing NT-3 levels. In conclusion, electroacupuncture stimulation at GV 14 and GV 4 acupoints can greatly promote neuronal function recovery, which may result from upregulating the expression of NT-3.

Study Duration

7 days

Participants

165 Sprague-Dawley male rats

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
EA promotes the recovery of SCI rats’ motor function, as shown by BBB testing.
2
EA restores neural morphology and increases the quantity of neurons after SCI, as shown by Nissl staining.
3
EA upregulates the expression of NT-3 in spinal cord tissue after SCI, which plays an antiapoptosis role as exposed by TUNEL staining.

Research Summary

This study investigated the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats. The researchers examined the impact of EA on motor function, neural morphology, and the expression of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). The key findings revealed that EA promoted motor function recovery, restored neural morphology, reduced neuronal apoptosis, and upregulated NT-3 expression in SCI rats. The study suggests that EA, particularly at GV 14 and GV 4 acupoints, may be an effective therapeutic strategy for SCI by enhancing neuroprotection and neuronal function recovery, possibly through the upregulation of NT-3.

Practical Implications

Therapeutic Strategy

Electroacupuncture at GV 14 and GV 4 acupoints may be an effective therapeutic strategy in spinal cord injury.

Neuroprotection

EA treatment can improve functional recovery by reducing apoptotic cell death after SCI.

Upregulation of NT-3

The neuroprotective effects of EA treatment might be mediated by the level of NT-3 in the microenvironment around the spinal cord after injury.

Study Limitations

1
Small sample size
2
The interaction among NT-3 and its receptor (such as TrkC) and the effect of EA on them at different times should be explored in the future.
3
Quantitative analysis is also necessary, such as ELISA.

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