| BackgroundCerebral Palsy(CP)is the most important cause of child disability.Its incidence rate is about 1 to 5 per thousand worldwide,and the total number of patients worldwide is about 17 million.For nearly half a century,thanks to the rapid development of obstetric technology,perinatal medicine and neonatal medicine,neonatal mortality and the incidence of stillbirth have decreased significantly.Some high-risk infants who were difficult to survive in the past have survived,and the risk of cerebral palsy of these high-risk infants is significantly higher than that of normal newborns.The incidence rate of cerebral palsy has not decreased significantly.Due to the high disability rate,low cure rate,and extended/prolonged treatment cycle of cerebral palsy,has brought a heavy burden to the children’s families and society)Cerebral palsy involves a series of complex pathophysiological changes.So far,there is no way to cure it completely.Scholars at home and abroad are committed to exploring effective methods for the treatment of cerebral palsy.Among the many methods for treating cerebral palsy,electroacupuncture(EA)in the head,as a new method for the treatment of CP,has been gradually introduced into the field of scientific research.A large number of studies have reported that EA in the head can significantly improve the blood flow in the injured area,remove oxygen free radicals,increase the expression of neurotrophic factors,and promote the proliferation and differentiation of autologous neural stem cells.EA has been recognized by many scholars and clinicians because it is more simple,effective,safe and reliable,but its mechanism of action is still less studied.In recent years,many studies have shown that PI3 K / Akt signaling pathway is involved in the neuroprotective effect of neurological diseases.PI3 K / Akt signaling pathway is an important survival-promoting and anti apoptosis signaling pathway in vivo.It is a key crucial link in the signal transmission of cell growth,metabolism,apoptosis,survival and inflammation.It is called the survival pathway and has been paid attention to.Many therapeutic measures play a neuroprotective role in hypoxic-ischemic brain injury by activating PI3 K / Akt signaling pathway.Therefore,this study hypothesized that head EA can promote the recovery of neurons and inhibit their apoptosis through PI3 K / Akt signaling pathway,so as to play a role in the rehabilitation of neural function in CP rats.ObjectiveTo verify whether PI3 K / Akt signal pathway is involved in the recovery of neural function and the apoptosis of cerebral cortical neurons in CP rats,so as to provide a scientific basis for the treatment of cerebral palsy by head EA.MethodBased on the successful establishment of the CP rat animal model,60 7-day-old SD rats were divided into four groups with 15 rats in each group,which were sham operation group(sham group),cerebral palsy model group(CP Group),intervention group 1(head EA group)and intervention group 2(electric head EA + PI3 K specific inhibitor LY294002 group).Five rats in each of the above four groups were randomly selected on 7,14 and 21 days after the operation for neurological function evaluation.Perform BBB neurological function and evaluation;Morris water maze experiment was used to evaluate the spatial memory ability of experimental rats.The recovery period of brain tissue at each time point was observed by HE staining.TUNEL method was used to detect the apoptosis of neurons in the left cerebral cortex of rats in each group.The expressions of Akt and p-Akt in the brain were detected by Western blot.SPSS 24.0 statistical software was used for data analysis.Results1.Neurological assessmentCompared with the CP Group and EA + LY294002 group,the BBB motor function score of the EA group was significantly higher,the escape latency of the positioning cruise experiment was shortened,and the number of passing quadrants of the space exploration experiment was increased(P < 0.05).The results showed that the EA group’s neural function and learning and memory ability were better than those of the other two groups.There was no significant difference in motor function score and learning and memory ability between the CP Group and EA + LY294002group(P > 0.05).2.Histopathological observationHE staining showed that at day 7,the overall structure of brain tissue in the EA group was slightly abnormal,the cortical neurons were arranged orderly,a small number of neurons necrosis,nuclear pyknosis and deep staining were visible,and the damage degree of overall brain tissue was lighter than that in CP Group and EA +LY294002 group.On day 14 and day 21,the brain tissue sections of each group showed recovery.On day 21,the overall structure of brain tissue in the EA group was basically normal,the arrangement of tissue neurons was neat,and there was no apparent neuronal nuclear necrosis.The degree of recovery was more obvious than that in the CP Group and EA + LY294002 group.TUNEL method was used to detect the apoptosis of cerebral cortical neurons.The results showed that the neuronal apoptosis of the EA group was lower than that of the CP Group and EA + LY294002 group(P < 0.05),but there was no significant difference between the CP Group and the EA + LY294002 group(P > 0.05).3.The expression of Akt and p-Akt protein was detected by Western blotWestern blot was used to detect the expression of Akt and p-Akt in the brain tissue of experimental rats and calculate the Akt activity(p-Akt / Akt).The results showed that there was no significant difference in Akt activity between sham group and CP Group at each time point(P > 0.05);The Akt activity of EA group was significantly higher than that of other groups at each time point(P < 0.05);The Akt activity of EA + LY294002 group was significantly lower than that of other groups at each time point(P < 0.05).ConclusionEA stimulation of head motor area through PI3 K / Akt signal pathway can effectively promote the repair of brain injury in CP ratsinhibit neuronal apoptosis,improve motor and spatial memory ability and promote the recovery of neurological function in CP rats. |
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