Peripheral nerve networks (PNNs) play a vital role in the neural recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). Electroacupuncture (EA), as an alternative medicine, has been widely used in SCI and was proven to be effective on neural functional recovery. In this study, the interaction between PNNs and semaphrin3A (Sema3A) in the recovery of the motor function after SCI was observed, and the effect of EA on them was evaluated. After the establishment of the SCI animal model, we found that motor neurons in the ventral horn of the injured spinal cord segment decreased, Nissl bodies were blurry, and PNNs and Sema3A as well as its receptor neuropilin1 (NRP1) aggregated around the central tube of the gray matter of the spinal cord. When we knocked down the expression of Sema3A at the damage site, NRP1 also downregulated, importantly, PNNs concentration decreased, and tenascin-R (TN-R) and aggrecan were also reduced, while the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) motor function score dramatically increased. In addition, when conducting EA stimulation on Jiaji (EX-B2) acupoints, the highly upregulated Sema3A and NRP1 were reversed post-SCI, which can lessen the accumulation of PNNs around the central tube of the spinal cord gray matter, and simultaneously promote the recovery of motor function in rats. These results suggest that EA may further affect the plasticity of PNNs by regulating the Sema3A signal and promoting the recovery of the motor function post-SCI.
Stroke is one of the leading causes of patients' death and long‐term disability worldwide, and ischaemic stroke (IS) accounts for nearly 80% of all strokes. Differential genes and weighted gene co‐expression network analysis (WGCNA) in male and female patients with IS were compared. The authors used cell type identification by estimating relative subsets of RNA transcripts (CIBERSORT) to analyse the distribution pattern of immune subtypes between male and female patients. In this study, 141 up‐regulated and 61 down‐regulated genes were gathered and distributed into five modules in response to their correlation degree to clinical traits. The criterion for Gene Ontology (GO) term and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway indicated that detailed analysis had the potential to enhance clinical prediction and to identify the gender‐related mechanism. After that, the expression levels of hub genes were measured via the quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) method. Finally, CCL20, ICAM1 and PTGS2 were identified and these may be some promising targets for sex differences in IS. Besides, the hub genes were further verified by rat experiments. Furthermore, these CIBERSORT results showed that T cells CD8 and Monocytes may be the target for the treatment of male and female patients, respectively.
Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Evidence shows that ischemic stroke (IS) accounts for nearly 80 percent of all strokes and that the etiology, risk factors, and prognosis of this disease differ by gender. Female patients may bear a greater burden than male patients. The immune system may play an important role in the pathophysiology of females with IS. Therefore, it is critical to investigate the key biomarkers and immune infiltration of female IS patients to develop effective treatment methods. Herein, we used weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to determine the key modules and core genes in female IS patients using the GSE22255, GSE37587, and GSE16561 datasets from the GEO database. Subsequently, we performed functional enrichment analysis and built a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Ten genes were selected as the true central genes for further investigation. After that, we explored the specific molecular and biological functions of these hub genes to gain a better understanding of the underlying pathogenesis of female IS patients. Moreover, the “Cell type Identification by Estimating Relative Subsets of RNA Transcripts (CIBERSORT)” was used to examine the distribution pattern of immune subtypes in female patients with IS and normal controls, revealing a new potential target for clinical treatment of the disease.
ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the expression of cytosine monophosphate kinase 2 (CMPK2) and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in rats with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to characterize the effects of electroacupuncture on CMPK2-associated regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome.MethodsAn SCI model was established in Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats. The expression levels of NLRP3 and CMPK2 were measured at different time points following induction of SCI. The rats were randomly divided into a sham group (Sham), a model group (Model), an electroacupuncture group (EA), an adeno-associated virus (AAV) CMPK2 group, and an AAV NC group. Electroacupuncture was performed at jiaji points on both sides of T9 and T11 for 20 min each day for 3 consecutive days. In the AAV CMPK2 and AAV NC groups, the viruses were injected into the T9 spinal cord via a microneedle using a microscope and a stereotactic syringe. The Basso–Beattie–Bresnahan (BBB) score was used to evaluate the motor function of rats in each group. Histopathological changes in spinal cord tissue were detected using H&E staining, and the expression levels of NLRP3, CMPK2, ASC, caspase-1, IL-18, and IL-1β were quantified using Western blotting (WB), immunofluorescence (IF), and RT-PCR.ResultsThe expression levels of NLRP3 and CMPK2 in the spinal cords of the model group were significantly increased at day 1 compared with those in the sham group (p < 0.05). The expression levels of NLRP3 and CMPK2 decreased gradually over time and remained low at 14 days post-SCI. We successfully constructed AAV CMPK2 and showed that CMPK2 was significantly knocked down following 2 dilutions. Finally, treatment with EA or AAV CMPK2 resulted in significantly increased BBB scores compared to those in the model group and the AAV NC group (p < 0.05). The histomorphology of the spinal cord in the EA and AAV CMPK2 groups was significantly different than that in the model and AAV NC groups. WB, IF, and PCR analyses showed that the expression levels of CMPK2, NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, IL-18, and IL-1β were significantly lower in the EA and AAV CMPK2 groups compared with those in the model and AAV NC groups (p < 0.05).ConclusionOur study showed that CMPK2 regulated NLRP3 expression in rats with SCI. Activation of NLRP3 is a critical mechanism of inflammasome activation and the inflammatory response following SCI. Electroacupuncture downregulated the expression of CMPK2 and inhibited activation of NLRP3, which could improve motor function in rats with SCI.
Introduction. Neuropathic pain is a commonly seen symptom and one of the most intractable comorbidities following spinal cord injury (SCI). Acupuncture has been widely used for neuropathic pain after SCI in clinical settings. There is no systematic review or meta‐analysis evaluating the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of SCI-induced neuropathic pain. Thus, this study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of acupuncture on SCI-induced neuropathic pain. Methods. Seven databases were comprehensively searched, including PubMed, the Cochrane Library, the Web of Science, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), the Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System (SinoMed), the Wanfang Database, and the Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP) from their inception to 30 September 2021. Two independent reviewers evaluated the eligibility of the data retrieved based on the pre-established eligibility criteria and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. The outcome indexes in this study included the visual analogue scale, the numeric rating scale, the present pain intensity, and the pain region index. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were also performed to specifically evaluate the intervention effects. In addition, publication bias was analyzed. Results. Six randomized controlled trials (145 participants in the experimental groups and 141 participants in the control groups) were identified that evaluated the application of acupuncture for neuropathic pain after SCI and were included in this study. The results of our study revealed that acupuncture had a positive effect on the pain severity (standardized mean difference (SMD): −1.40, 95% confidence interval (CI): −2.23; −0.57), the present pain intensity (MD = −0.61, 95% CIs = −0.98; −0.23), and the pain region index (MD = −3.04, 95% CI = −3.98; −2.11). In addition, sensitivity analyses showed that these results were robust and stable. Subgroup analyses indicated that electroacupuncture (EA) had better effects on SCI-induced neuropathic pain. However, a publication bias was observed. Conclusion. Available evidence appears to suggest that acupuncture may have a role in SCI-induced neuropathic pain management, but this remains to be determined.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.