| Objective:To investigate the effects of Jiaji electroacupuncture on IL-18 inflammatory factors and limb motor function in rats with spinal cord injury.To investigate whether Jiaji electroacupuncture alleviates inflammatory response after spinal cord injury by inhibiting IL-18 inflammatory factors.Methods:The experiment was divided into two parts.Experiment 1: Effects of Jiaji electroacupuncture on behavior and spinal cord histomorphology of SCI rats Thirty-six clean female SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group(sham group),model group(Model group)and Jiaji electroacupuncture group(EA group),with 12 rats in each group,and each group was divided into 2 time points(1d and 7d),with6 rats at each time point.In sham group,only exposed spinal cord tissue was sutured immediately without any other treatment,and rats were routinely fed after surgery and bundled with other groups.Model group: after successful modeling,rats were routinely fed and bundled together with other groups without any disposal;Jiaji electroacupuncture group: 3 hours after the successful modeling,the rats were given acupuncture treatment after awakening until the end of the course of treatment at each time point.BBB score was used to evaluate the limb motor function of the three groups.HE staining was used to observe the changes of cell structure and morphology of spinal cord tissues in three groups.Experiment 2: Western blot and RT-PCR were used to detect the protein content and gene expression of IL-18 in spinal cord tissues of rats in each group.Twenty-four SD rats were randomly divided into sham group,model group and Jiaji electroacupuncture group,with 8 rats in each group.The model preparation and intervention methods were the same as the experiment 1.After sampling,Western blot and RT-PCR were used to detect the expression of IL-18 protein and gene in spinal cord tissues.Results:1.BBB score: The motor function score of the rats in the sham-operated group(sham group)was 21 points at both time points 1d and 7d.On the 1st and 7th day after operation,compared with the sham group,the BBB scores of the rats in the model group and the EA group were significantly decreased,and the difference was statistically significant(P< 0.05).On the 7th day after operation,compared with the model group,the BBB score of the EA group was significantly increased,and the difference was statisticall y significant(P< 0.05).The score increased with the treatment time,and the BBB score of the EA group was higher than that of the model group.2.HE results: After HE staining,under the electron microscope,the 1 d postoperatively,sham group of rat spinal cord tissue section is considerable see complete spinal cord tissue cell structure,cell arranged closely,gray white line is clear,no bleeder,neuronal cell body structure is complete,there was no significant change,no displacement of nucleus,nucleus is clearly visible,full,nucleus was not observed inflammatory cell hyperplasia and degeneration of the tissue edema;In the model group,1d after surgery,compared with the sham group,obvious damage of spinal cord tissue structure in the injured area was observed,with unclear gray matter and white matter boundaries,scattered hemorrhagic spots,reduced nuclear volume,inflammatory cell infiltration,and neuron swelling and necrosis.The spinal cord tissue of model group 7days after surgery showed aggravated damage of spinal cord structure,loose tissue,the vacuoles were increased,few remaining nerve cells,and enlarged area of inflammatory cell infiltration.On day 7 after surgery,the content of inflammatory cells in spinal cord tissue of EA group was significantly decreased,nerve cells with normal structure began to appear,and inflammatory cell infiltration was significantly reduced.3.Western blot: A small amount of IL-18 protein was found in the spinal cord of rats in sham group;A large amount of IL-18 was found in the spinal cord of rats in model group.The difference between model group and sham group was statistically significant(P < 0.05).The expression of IL-18 decreased in spinal cord tissue of rats in EA group,and the difference was statistically significant(P< 0.05).4.RT-PCR: the expression of IL-18 gene in the spinal cord of rats in model group was significantly increased 7 days after operation,and the difference was statistically significant compared with that in sham group(P< 0.05).On day 7 after surgery,the gene expression of IL-18 was decreased in spinal cord tissue of rats in EA group,and the difference was statistically significant compared with model group(P< 0.05).Conclusion:1.Jiaji electroacupuncture can improve limb motor function in rats with acute SCI,and promote the recovery of lower limb motor nerve function in rats.2.Jiaji electroacupuncture can inhibit the inflammatory factor IL-18 in the spinal cord tissue and reduce the inflammatory injury of acute SCI rat tissue. |
PDF Full Text Request