Effects of Electroacupuncture Intervention on Expression of Cyclooxygenase 2 and Microglia in Spinal Cord in Rat Model of Neuropathic Pain

• Published in: Chinese journal of integrative medicine Vol. 23; no. 10; pp. 786 - 792
• Main Authors: Ji, Li-li, Guo, Meng-wei, Ren, Xiu-jun, Ge, Dong-yu, Li, Gen-mao, Tu, Ya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.10.2017
• Subjects: Acupuncture Research; Analgesia; Animals; Cyclooxygenase 2 - genetics; Cyclooxygenase 2 - metabolism; Disease Models, Animal; Electroacupuncture; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Microglia - enzymology; Microglia - pathology; Neuralgia - enzymology; Neuralgia - genetics; Neuralgia - pathology; Neuralgia - therapy; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Spinal Cord - enzymology; Spinal Cord - pathology; 大鼠; 小胶质细胞; 环氧化酶; 电针治疗; 病理性; 细胞表达; 脊神经节; 脊髓; neuropathic pain; cyclooxygenase 2; electroacupuncture; spinal cord; microglia
• ISSN: 1672-0415; 1993-0402
• DOI: 10.1007/s11655-016-2606-y

Objective： To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture（EA） treatment on the expression of cyclooxygenase（COX） 2 and microglia in spinal cord by using rat model of neuropathic pain, and to probe into the relationship between COX 2 and microglia. Methods： The rats were randomly divided into 6 groups, including normal control group, model group, sham group, EA 1 group（distant acupoints ＋ local acupoints）, EA 2 group（local acupoints）, and EA 3 group（distant acupoints）. Thermal withdrawal latencies were evaluated at 1 day preoperatively and 3, 5 and 7 days postoperatively. At 7 days postoperatively, the spinal COX 2 m RNA was detected by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Double immunofluorescent staining technology was applied to screen and verify the relationship between altered COX 2 and microglia. Results： Compared with the model group, thermal withdrawal latencies increased after EA treatment（P〈0.01）. The expressions of COX 2 m RNA were up-regulated in spinal cord of rat on day 7 after surgery（P〈0.05）. Compared with the model group, EA stimulation（EA 1 and EA 2 groups） reversed the up-regulation of COX 2 m RNA expression（P〈0.05）. EA 1 and EA 2 groups might have better treatment effect compared with the EA 3 group. Fluorescent images displayed COX 2 and microglia expressed at common areas. Conclusions： EA was effective in analgesic and anti-inflammatory. EA has decreased the expression of spinal COX 2 m RNA in the trend of the therapeutic effect of ＂distant acupoints ＋ local acupoints＂, and ＂local acupoints＂ intervention may be superior to that of ＂distant acupoints＂ intervention. Microglia may be related to the formation of COX 2.