Effect Of Electroacupuncture On Alleviating Bone Loss In The Mice Model Of Stapyhylococcus Aureus Osteomyelitis

Background and objectiveInflammatory bone destruction secondary to osteomyelitis is a challenge in current clinical treatment.Bone destruction leads to many problems such as pathological fractures and failure of internal fixation,and the formation of dead bone or cavities provides conditions for the harboring of pathogenic microorganisms and the persistence of osteomyelitis.The current clinical treatment strategy for osteomyelitis is based on antibiotics and surgical treatment,however,the main purpose of these two tools does not involve the suppression of bone damage in osteomyelitis.So there is a need to investigate the treatment of bone damage due to osteomyelitis.A recent study showed the anti-inflammatory effect of electroacupuncture treatment in mice induced to develop sepsis.The use of electrostimulation treatment to modulate the important role of human autonomic neuromodulation in the maintenance of endostasis,inflammatory response,and antiinfection provides new ideas for inhibiting bone destruction.We therefore conducted the study to figure out the effect of electroacupuncture treatment in suppressing bone loss in Staphylococcus aureus bone infection.MethodsWe selected 10-12 weeks old C57BL/6 male mice(n=6/group)as experimental subjects,and divided them into electroacupuncture group and control group.Both groups received intramedullary needle implantation for femoral Staphylococcus aureus infection,the control group received no treatment,while the electroacupuncture group received ST36 Zusanli electroacupuncture stimulation.After 4 weeks of electroacupuncture treatment,the femur and tibia were obtained for imaging and histological analysis.Using mirco-CT,ELISA and other techniques,the effect of electroacupuncture stimulation on alleviating bone destruction in osteomyelitis was explored,together with its mechanism.ResultsMicroCT results showed that BV/TV,Tb.N,Tb.Th,and Conn.Dn in the target area of cancellous bone were elevated in the electroacupuncture group compared with the control group,and LEPR immunofluorescence results suggested that osteogenic precursor cells were increased in the electroacupuncture group compared with the control group,and serum ELISA suggested that inflammatory factors in the blood were reduced in the electroacupuncture group compared with the control group.TRAP staining showed no difference in the number of osteoclasts on the surface of bone trabeculae between the two groups.There was no significant difference in the number of osteoclasts on the surface of bone trabeculae between the two groups.ConclusionThe findings illustrate that electroacupuncture treatment alleviates bone destruction in the mouse model of Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis and suggest that this effect is related to the alleviation of inflammation by electroacupuncture treatment and the promotion of osteoblastogenesis.Since the potential relationship showed between the mobilization and recruitment of osteoblast precursors,i.e.,mesenchymal stem cells,and the inhibitory effect of electroacupuncture treatment on bone loss,we reviewed the interaction between S.aureus infection and stem cells,especially mesenchymal stem cells,and summarized the prospects of stem cell therapy in anti-infection treatment.