Effect of Electroacupuncture on the Expression of Glycyl‐tRNA Synthetase and Ultrastructure Changes in Atrophied Rat Peroneus Longus Muscle Induced by Sciatic Nerve Injection Injury

Abstract

Glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GlyRS) is one of the key enzymes involved in protein synthesis. Its mutations have been reported to cause Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease which demonstrates muscular atrophy in distal extremities, particularly manifested in peroneus muscles. In this situation, the dysfunctions of mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) affect energy supply and excitation-contraction coupling of muscle fibers, therefore resulting in muscular atrophy. Although the treatment of muscular atrophy is a global urgent problem, it can be improved by electroacupuncture (EA) treatment. To investigate the mechanism underlying EA treatment improving muscular atrophy, we focused on the perspective of protein synthesis by establishing a penicillin injection-induced sciatic nerve injury model. In our model, injured rats without treatment showed decreased sciatic functional index (SFI), decreased peroneus longus muscle weight and muscle fiber cross-sectional area, aggregated mitochondria with vacuoles appearing, swollen SR, and downregulated mRNA and protein expression levels of GlyRS and myosin heavy chain IIb (MHC-IIb). The injured rats with EA treatment showed significant recovery. These results indicated that EA stimulation can alleviate peroneus longus muscular atrophy induced by iatrogenic sciatic nerve injury through promoting the recovery of GlyRS and muscle ultrastructure and increasing muscle protein synthesis.

Effect of Electroacupuncture on the Expression of Agrin and Acetylcholine Receptor Subtypes in Rats with Tibialis Anterior Muscular Atrophy Induced by Sciatic Nerve Injection Injury

“…The protocol for this study was approved by the ethics review board of Zunyi Medical College. 12 All procedures were performed according to the National Institutes of Health ‘Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals’ (National Academies Press, Washington DC, USA).…”

Enhanced Pain Sensitivity with Systemic Ultrastructural Changes of the Nervous Systems after Cobra Venom Injection is Reversed by Electroacupuncture Treatment

“…Although poorly managed, neuropathic pain has been found to be responsive to electro-acupuncture (EA) therapy as well as pregabalin treatment (2,3) in humans and animal models (4,5). In addition to neuropathic pain treatment, EA also protects the ultrastructure of muscles (6), neurons (7), and myelin sheath (8), and thus may promote tissue repair and nerve regeneration after injury.…”