Electro-acupuncture upregulates CGRP expression after rat spinal cord transection.
Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) plays a variety of important roles within the nervous system. Increasing CGRP expression could improve the survival of injured neurons and prevent neuronal loss. In this study, we first evaluated in vitro the neuroprotective function of CGRP on mechanically injured cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) of rats. We then verified this result through exogenous administration of CGRP in a spinal cord transected completely in rats. Finally, we investigated the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) on CGRP expression following the spinal cord transected completely in rats. We found that EA can improve CGRP expression, and exogenous CGRP may promote the survival of injured neurons, both in vivo and in vitro. Our results suggest that CGRP may be a specific neuropeptide expressed in GV-EA treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI), and that CGRP may play a neuroprotective role in survival of neurons injured mechanically.
Division of Neuroscience, Department of Histology and Embryology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
Wen-Jie
WJ
Li
Shu-Min
SM
Li
Ying
Y
Ding
Bing
B
He
Jack
J
Keegan
Hongxin
H
Dong
Jing-Wen
JW
Ruan
Yuan-Shan
YS
Zeng
D000818:Animals; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D002818:Cordotomy; D004343:Drug Implants; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D059225:Nociception / Q000502:physiology; D020671:Posterior Horn Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012038:Regeneration; D019051:Rhizotomy; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D015854:Up-Regulation
D004343:Drug Implants; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D008012:Lidocaine; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide