Mechanism of acupoint penetration acupuncture therapy regulating chondrocyte autophagy via the PI3K/Akt-mTOR pathway in KOA rats

Objective To investigate whether acupoint penetration acupuncture(APA)could regulate chondrocyte autophagy and apoptosis via the PI3K/Akt-mTOR signaling pathway to reduce cartilage degeneration in knee osteoarthritis(KOA)rats.Methods KOA was induced in rats via intra-articular injection of sodium iodoacetate resolution.Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to blank control,model,APA,electro-acupuncture(EA),and sham model groups(n=8)and those in the APA and EA groups received their respective therapies.Following completion of the treatment course,histological examinations of cartilage and muscle were conducted.Levels of apoptosis-and autophagy-related factors,including Bax,Bcl-2,mTOR,ULK-1,and Beclin-1 protein,and mRNAs were assessed.Additionally,β-endorphin(β-EP)concentrations in the brain and serum were measured.Results Histological analysis revealed that APA alleviated cartilage and muscle damage compared with the model group.APA inhibited cartilage degeneration by modulating the expression of apoptosis-and autophagy-related proteins and mRNA,thus preventing chondrocyte apoptosis.In the APA group,Bax and mTOR protein levels were significantly lower than those in the model group(both P=.024).Conversely,the Bcl-2 expression level was significantly higher than that in the EA group(P=.035).Additionally,ULK-1 expression was significantly lower than that in the EA group(P=.045).The mRNA level of Bax was significantly higher than that in the blank control group(P<.001).However,Beclin-1 levels were significantly higher than those in both the model and EA groups(both P<.001).ELISA results showed a significant decrease in the concentration ofβ-EP in the brains of the rats in the APA group compared with those in the model group(P=.032).Conclusions APA reduced osteoarthritis-related pain and alleviated cartilage damage by upregulating chondrocyte autophagy and down-regulating apoptosis via signaling pathways involving PI3K/Akt-mTOR in KOA rats.

IMPACTS OF PENETRATION THERAPY WITH HEAD ELECTRICAL ACUPUNCTURE ON PROLIFERATION OF NEURAL STEM CELLS IN SUBSTANTIA NIGRA OF RAT MODEL OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Objective To probe into the function mechanism of penetration therapy with head electrical acupuncture on Parkinson＇s disease. Methods Microinjection of 6-hydroxydopamin （6-OHDA） on the left cor- pus striatum was adopted to prepare rotation model of Parkinson^s disease in rat. Penetration therapy with head electrical acupuncture was administered in treatment. Normal group, sham-operation group, model group and penetration therapy group were set up. （1）lmmunohistochemical （IHC） method was used to test the morphology and count of positive cell of tyrosine hydroxylase （TH）. （2）RT-PCR technology was used to detect the expression of nestin mRNA of neural stem cell （NSC）. Results （1）Compared with model group, in pene- tration therapy group, the expressions of TH-positive neurons in immune response were increased in areal density （AD）, numerical density （ND） and integrating optic density （P〈0.05）. （2）Compared with model group, in penetration therapy group, the expression of nestin mRNA was increased （P〈0. 05）. Conclusion Penetration therapy with head electrical acupuncture promotes the proliferation of endogenous neural stem cells in substantia nigra of rat model of Parkinson＇s disease.

Experience of professor JIA Chun-sheng in rapid analgesia by subcutaneous penetration needling of auricular acupuncture

To introduce the experience of professor JIA Chun-sheng in rapid analgesia and motor function rehabilitation by subcutaneous penetration needling of auricular acupuncture.Subcutaneous penetration needling of auricular acupuncture plays a role in rapid analgesia and motor function rehabilitation in treatment of pain in limbs and trunk and/or limb dysfunction caused by migraine,cervical spondylosis,acute lumbar sprain,soft tissue injury,scapulohumeral periarthritis,lumbar disc herniation,sciatica,stroke or cerebral trauma,and it is worthy of being widely promoted and applied clinically.

CLINICAL OBSERVATION ON TREATMENT OF PERIPHERAL FACIAL PARALYSIS WITH DIFFERENT NEEDLING METHODS

Purpose: To observe the clinical therapeutic effect of different needling methods in the treatment of peripheral facial paralysis. Methods: A total of 158 cases of peripheral facial palsy patients are randomly divided into treatment group (n=116 cases, who are treated by penetration needling method) and control group (n=42 cases, who are treated with traditional acupuncture method). In treatment group, main acupoint pairs for penetration needling are Yangbai (GB 14) -Yuyao (EX-HN 4), Tongziliao (GB 1) -Taiyang (EX-HN 5), Jiache (ST 6) -Dicang (ST 4) and Chengjiang (CV 24) -Jiachengjiang (EX-HN) on the affected side, and in control group, the main acupoints used are Yifeng (TE 17), Yangbai (GB 14), Sibai (ST 2), Dicang (ST 4), Jiache (ST 6), Jingming (BL 1) and Chengjiang (CV 24). The treatment is given once daily with 10 sessions being a therapeutic course. Results: After 3 courses of treatment, the cure rates of treatment group and control group are 81.8% and 66.7% separately, showing a significant difference between two groups (P<0.05). The total effective rates of treatment and control groups are 96.5% and 88.1% separately, presenting a significant difference between two groups (P<0.01). Conclusion: The therapeutic effect of penetration needling method is better than that of traditional acupuncture method.