title: Combinatorial effects of conception and governor vessel electroacupuncture and human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells on pathomorphologic lesion and cellular apoptosis in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the combinatorial effects of conception and governor vessel electroacupuncture (EA) and human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (HUCB-MSCs) on pathomorphologic lesion and cellular apoptosis in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  With the HUCB-MSCs isolated, cultured and identified and the models of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion established, the HUCB-MSCs of passage three were intracranially transplanted and the EA at conception and governor vessels was applied. The pathomorphologic lesion by hematoxylin-eosin staining and the cellular apoptosis by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick-end labeling method around the ischemic focus were observed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cultured adherent HUCB-MSCs exhibited a spindle shape and expressed MSC-specific markers, with the cell purity and proliferation rate significantly increasing after the primary passage. HE staining showed that there were no pathological changes observed in the sham surgery group. However, in the PBS transplantation group, degeneration and necrosis of a great number of nerve cells were seen. In both the HUCB-MSCs transplantation group and the HUCB-MSCs transplantation + EA group, reparative changes of the pathomorphism of the tissue were found. Both combination treatment and simple MSCs treatment were able to improve the pathomorphorlogic lesion following cerebral ischemia and reduce the abnormal TUNEL-positive numbers, with former better than latter.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HUCB-MSCs improve pathological lesions and inhibit the cellular apoptosis around the cerebral ischemic area. EA at conception and governor vessels also improve pathological lesion and inhibit the cellular apoptosis in rats treated with HUCB-MSCs transplantation, which effects were superior to that of simple HUCB-MSCs transplantation.
authors.forename: Zhuoxin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Pengdian
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Haibo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Wenshu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pi
authors.forename: Yonggang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Fuxia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yanhua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gou
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015424:Reperfusion