title: Electroacupuncture modulates stromal cell-derived factor-1α expression and mobilization of bone marrow endothelial progenitor cells in focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion model rats.
abstract: Stromal cell-derived factor-1α(SDF-1α) plays a crucial role in regulating the mobilization, migration and homing of endothelial progenitor cells(EPCs). Electroacupuncture(EA), a modern version of Traditional Chinese Medicine, can improve neurological recovery and angiogenesis in cerebral ischemic area. This study aimed to investigate the effects of electroacupuncture(EA) on the mobilization and migration of bone marrow EPCs and neurological functional recovery in rats model after focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion and the potentially involved mechanisms. Sprague-Dawley rats received filament occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery for 2h followed by reperfusion for 12h, 1d, 2d, 3d, 7d respectively. Rats were randomly divided into sham group, model group and EA group. After 2h of the reperfusion, EA was given at the "Baihui" (GV 20)/Siguan ("Hegu" (LI 4)/"Taichong" (LR 3)) acupoints in the EA group. Modified neurological severity score (mNSS) was used to assess the neurological functional recovery. EPCs number and SDF-1α level in bone marrow(BM) and peripheral blood(PB) were detected by using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis and quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) respectively. An mNSS test showed that EA treatment significantly improved the neurological functional outcome. EPCs number in PB and BM were obviously increased in the EA group. After cerebral ischemia, the SDF-1α level was decreased in BM while it was increased in PB, which implied a gradient of SDF-1α among BM and PB after ischemia. It suggested that the forming of SDF-1α concentration gradient can induce the mobilization and homing of EPCs. Eletroacupuncture as a treatment can accelerate and increase the forming of SDF-1α concentration gradient to further induce the mobilization of EPCs and angiogenesis in ischemic brain and improve the neurological function recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Chongqing 400016, China; Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610018, China. Electronic address: xiechenchen-888@163.com.
authors.forename: Chenchen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, The Eleventh People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, Sichuan 610018, China. Electronic address: chenxiangfu15@163.com.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Chongqing 400016, China. Electronic address: luoyong1998@163.com.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Chongqing 400016, China. Electronic address: 469627639@qq.com.
authors.forename: Yueshan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Chongqing 400016, China. Electronic address: Limanneurosci@163.com.
authors.forename: Man
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12 / Q000378:metabolism*; D015671:Electroacupuncture / Q000379:methods*; D066026:Endothelial Progenitor Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells; D007511:Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015424:Reperfusion / Q000379:methods; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C575935:CXCL12 protein, rat; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12
keywords: Angiogenesis; Cerebral ischemia; Electroacupuncture; Endothelial progenitor cells; Focal cerebral ischemic/reperfusion; Stromal cell-derived factor-1α