Research Of Effects On BDNF And Its Receptor TrkB By Du Meridian Electro-acupuncture Combined With Rehabilitation Training On The Spinal Cord Hemitransection Injury In Rats

Objective: To investigate the expression of BDNF (brain-deried neurotrophic factor) and TrkB (receptor of BDNF) in rats with Hemitransection Spinal Cord Injury after Du-meridian electro-acupuncture and rehabilitation training, and to observe the rats' behavioral changes. Thus To explore the neural repair mechanism of Hemitransection Spinal Cord Injury rats after Du-meridian electro-acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training, and to provide the best therapeutic schedule for clinical patients with spinal cord injury .Methods:1) The acute semi-sectional lesion attacked at the right half of T11 spinal cord of the 120 healthy adult female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. We chose 96 rats within them according to the experiment standard and divided the 96 rats randomly into Du-meridian electro-acupuncture group(12 for 4-week group, 12 for 8-week group), rehabilitation training group (12 for 4-week group, 12 for 8-week group) , Du-meridian electro-acupuncture combined with rehabilitation group(12 for 4-week group, 12 for 8-week group) and blank controller (12 for 4-week group, 12 for 8-week group). 2) The Du-meridian electro-acupuncture group began the treatment on the third day after the operation. We needled at Ashi(between T9-T10 and L1-L2) ,Yaoshu, Changqiang point about 2mm depth and connected an Electro-acupuncture Therapeutic Apparatus , 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. The rehabilitation training group began the treatment on the third day after the operation .The rats' right limb rotated on a special flat roof which was 4cm in diameter, 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Du-meridian electro-acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training group did both of the above treatment and the intervening time was 30 minutes. The blank controller did not need to do any treatment. 3) We evaluated their neurological behavior every week and extracted spinal cord tissue 4 and 8 weeks later respectively. By using the PCR, RT - PCR and immunohistochemical method, we observe relevant statistics of BDNF and TrkB.Results: 1) Successfully making the model of SCI, the 4 groups always have the neurological and motor functional defects. 2) BBB grade increases gradually as time going on. There are significant differences between blank controller and other groups at the same time point (p<0.05). The score is obviously increased in Du-meridian electro-acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training group than Du-meridian electro-acupuncture group or rehabilitation training group(p<0.05). There is no significant difference between Du-meridian electro-acupuncture group and rehabilitation training group(p>0.05). 3) The results of immunohistochemical method, PCR and RT– PCR also show that there are significant differences of BDNF and TrkB between blank controller and other groups at the same time(p<0.05). And the results are much more obvious in Du-meridian electro-acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training group than Du-meridian electro-acupuncture group or rehabilitation training group(p<0.05). There is no significant difference between Du-meridian electro-acupuncture group and rehabilitation training group(p>0.05).Conclusions: 1) Hemitransection Spinal Cord Injury of rats may bring about the neurological and motor functional defects, Du-meridian electro-acupuncture and rehabilitation training group could obviously improve those defects. 2) Experimental results demonstrate that the curative effect of Du-meridian electro-acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training group is the best plan, thus Du-meridian electro-acupuncture or rehabilitation training group can also improve the neurological and motor functional defects. 3) Du-meridian electro-acupuncture and rehabilitation training could obviously improve those defects, and we estimate that the expression level of BDNF and TrkB may lead to that result.