title: Electroacupuncture improves behavioral recovery and increases SCF/c-kit expression in a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion.
abstract: This study aims to investigate the mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) in promoting behavioral recovery after focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. The SD rats received filament occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery for 2 h followed by reperfusion for 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days, respectively. Rats were randomly divided into sham group, model group and EA group. After 2 h of the reperfusion, EA was given at bilateral "Hegu" point (LI 4) in the EA group. Neurobehavioral evaluation, the expression of stem cell factor (SCF), its receptor c-kit and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) protein and mRNA in the cortical ischemic region were measured. EA treatment can improve behavioral recovery after ischemia/reperfusion. Compared with the sham group, the positive cells and mRNA expression of SCF, c-kit, MMP-9, the protein expression of SCF were increased significantly in the model and EA groups (P < 0.001). Compared with the model group, the positive cells, protein and mRNA expression of SCF were increased significantly in EA groups (P < 0.01). The positive cells and mRNA expression of c-kit were increased in EA groups beginning at 3 day and remained significantly high thereafter. The expression of MMP-9 positive cells and mRNA were deceased significantly in the 1 day subgroup in EA (P < 0.01), but increased significantly in the 3, 7 days subgroups (P < 0.01). We conclude that EA treatment up-regulates the positive cells and mRNA expression of SCF, c-kit and MMP-9 after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. EA may promote neurobehavioral recovery by increasing the protein and mRNA expression of SCF, c-kit and MMP-9 after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion.
authors.affiliation: Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, 1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, 400016 Chongqing, China. ltl286@yahoo.cn
authors.forename: Taoli
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Hongyi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Wenyi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015671:Electroacupuncture / Q000379:methods*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000150:complications*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D019089:Stem Cell Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019089:Stem Cell Factor; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9