Abstract
Peripheral nerve networks (PNNs) play a vital role in the neural recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). Electroacupuncture (EA), as an alternative medicine, has been widely used in SCI and was proven to be effective on neural functional recovery. In this study, the interaction between PNNs and semaphrin3A (Sema3A) in the recovery of the motor function after SCI was observed, and the effect of EA on them was evaluated. After the establishment of the SCI animal model, we found that motor neurons in the ventral horn of the injured spinal cord segment decreased, Nissl bodies were blurry, and PNNs and Sema3A as well as its receptor neuropilin1 (NRP1) aggregated around the central tube of the gray matter of the spinal cord. When we knocked down the expression of Sema3A at the damage site, NRP1 also downregulated, importantly, PNNs concentration decreased, and tenascin-R (TN-R) and aggrecan were also reduced, while the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) motor function score dramatically increased. In addition, when conducting EA stimulation on Jiaji (EX-B2) acupoints, the highly upregulated Sema3A and NRP1 were reversed post-SCI, which can lessen the accumulation of PNNs around the central tube of the spinal cord gray matter, and simultaneously promote the recovery of motor function in rats. These results suggest that EA may further affect the plasticity of PNNs by regulating the Sema3A signal and promoting the recovery of the motor function post-SCI.
Highlights
Spinal cord injury (SCI) and its secondary complications have become a significant social and economic burden on the health care system and patient’s families, which mainly leads to irreversible neurological impairment [1]
Spinal cord tissues of rats were homogenized with radioimmunoprecipitation assay (RIPA) buffer containing proteinase inhibitors, and the total protein concentration of each sample was determined by using the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) method according to the kit’s instruction
Aggrecan β-Actin this study, we found that motor neurons in the ventral horn of the injured spinal cord segment decreased, and Peripheral nerve networks (PNNs) and Sema3A as well as its receptor NRP1 aggregated around the central tube of the gray matter of the spinal cord
Summary
Spinal cord injury (SCI) and its secondary complications have become a significant social and economic burden on the health care system and patient’s families, which mainly leads to irreversible neurological impairment [1]. EA on Jiaji (EX-B2) acupoints with the stimulation parameter from 2 Hz/100 Hz has been shown as an antioxidant, anti-inflammation, and antiapoptosis agent, promoting axonal regeneration, nerve growth factor improvement, and some gene expressions [5,6,7,8]. These effects of EA may have a positive effect on functional recovery post-SCI and can be acknowledged to reduce the risk of secondary spinal cord damage. The therapeutic effect of EA was consistent with it
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