The mechanism of electroacupuncture for treating spinal cord injury rats by mediating Rho/Rho-associated kinase signaling pathway

The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 2021 · DOI: 10.1080/10790268.2019.1665612 · Published: July 1, 2021

Spinal Cord Injury Alternative Medicine Neurology

Simple Explanation

This study investigates how electroacupuncture (EA) can help rats recover from spinal cord injuries (SCI). It focuses on a specific pathway in cells called the Rho/ROCK signaling pathway, which is known to inhibit nerve regeneration after SCI. The researchers found that EA treatment, similar to a blocking agent Y27632, can reduce the activity of this pathway, promoting nerve growth and reducing inflammation. This suggests that EA could be a potential treatment for SCI by influencing this cellular pathway. By suppressing the Rho/ROCK signaling pathway, EA may reduce the inhibition of axonal growth and inflammatory reaction, thus promoting recovery after spinal cord injury.

Study Duration

14 days

Participants

Eighty Male Sprague Dawley rats

Evidence Level

Animal study

Key Findings

1
Electroacupuncture (EA) treatment significantly reduced mRNA and protein expression levels of RhoA and ROCKII in spinal cord injury (SCI) rats.
2
EA treatment decreased p-MLC protein expression and p-MLC/MLC ratio, suppressed cPLA2 activity and PGE2 level in SCI rats.
3
EA treatment improved spinal cord tissue morphology and Basso–Beattie–Bresnahan (BBB) score of lower limb movement function in SCI rats.

Research Summary

The study aimed to determine the changes of gene and protein expression through the Rho/ROCK signaling pathway in EA treated spinal cord injury (SCI) rats and to unveil the possible underlying mechanism. The results showed that EA, similar to the blocking agent Y27632, had a notable inhibitory effect on the Rho/ROCK signaling pathway after SCI. This reduced the inhibition of axonal growth and inflammatory reaction. The conclusion of the study suggests that EA's ability to reduce the inhibition of axonal growth and inflammatory reaction through the Rho/ROCK signaling pathway is a key mechanism in its treatment of SCI.

Practical Implications

Clinical Application

Provides experimental basis for clinical application of EA treatment of SCI.

Therapeutic Strategy

EA may attain the effect of treating SCI by decreasing the protein expression level of p-MLC and the ratio of p-MLC/MLC.

Combination Therapy

EA + Y27632 treatment was better than that of EA alone or Y27632 alone.

Study Limitations

1
The study was conducted on rats, and the results may not directly translate to humans.
2
The exact mechanisms of EA remain to be fully elucidated.
3
EA therapeutic effect for improving the rat hind limbs motor function was better than that for the regulation of Rho/ROCK signaling pathway.

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