title: Electro-acupuncture reduces neuronal apoptosis linked to Bax and Bcl-2 expression in the spinal cords of cats subjected to partial dorsal root ganglionectomy.
abstract: While electro-acupuncture (EA) has been well known to contribute towards neuroplasticity occurring in both the central and the peripheral nervous system after injury, the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. This study evaluated the effects and the possible mechanism of EA on neuronal apoptosis in the spinal cords of cats subjected to the removal of L(1)-L(5) and L(7)-S(2) dorsal root ganglion, sparing the L(6) dorsal root ganglion. EA treatment decreased the number of TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells in lamina II of the L(3) and L(6) cord segments at 7 and 14 days post operation (dpo). This EA-mediated neuroprotection is associated with a decrease in the number of Bax immunoreactive neurons and an increase in the number of Bcl-2 immunoreactive neurons. Furthermore, Western blot and RT-PCR analysis revealed a significant downregulation of Bax protein and its mRNA, but an upregulation of Bcl-2 in the dorsal horn of L(3) and L(6) cords at both 7 and 14 dpo. The present findings suggest that EA could inhibit neuronal apoptosis in dorsal root deafferentated cat spinal cords, possibly by Bax downregulation and Bcl-2 upregulation.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurological Disease, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xin-Yun
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Wei-Wei
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Su
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ting-Hua
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002415:Cats; D017931:DNA Primers; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000601:surgery*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein