The Mechanism Research On Acupuncture Intervention Time For Rabbit Facial Nerve Injury At Different Stages

Objective: To observe pathological change of rabbit facial nerves,survival rate of neurons,and expression regulation of caspase-3 by acupuncture treatment for rabbit facial nerve injury.To explore the recovery mechanism of injured rabbit facial nerves by acupuncture treatment at different stages.To further explain the mechanism of action for treating peripheral facial paralysis by acupuncture at different stages and provide theoretical evidence for treating peripheral facial paralysis in clinical practice.Methods: Fifty New Zealand healthy adult experimental rabbits are divided into blank group,sham-operation group,model group,acupuncture group 1,and acupuncture group 2.There are 10 rabbits in each group.There is no any treatment in blank group.The facial nerves of rabbits in sham-operation group are exposed by operation but without squeeze.The facial nerve injury model in model group,acupuncture group 1,and acupuncture group 2 is created.After the model created the acupuncture group 1 starts getting treatment when the facial nerves have been injured.The acupuncture group 2 starts getting treatment after the facial nerves have been injured seven days.There is no intervention in other groups but observed.The facial muscle movement of rabbits is observed,graded,and recorded every day.The nerves are sectioned and stained after the surgery has been operated 28 days.In different groups,the number of axons per unit in facial nerves is observed by microscope;the thickness of the myelin sheath and the cross section area of axon arecalculated;the surviving neurons of nucleus and the number of caspase-3positive cells are counted.Result: After ending treatment(28d after operation),the score of facial muscle movement,the number of axons per unit,the thickness of myelin sheath and the cross section area of axon,the survival rate of neuron,the number of caspase-3 positive cells,in blank group and sham-operation group are better than those in model group,acupuncture group 1,and acupuncture group 2,the difference is not statistically significant.The score of facial muscle movement,the thickness of myelin sheath and the cross section area of axon,the survival rate of neuron,the number of caspase-3 positive cells are both better inacupuncture group 1 than in cupuncture group 2,the difference is statistically significant.Conclusion: The acupuncture treatment starting at acute stage,compared the treatment at resting stage,can control caspase cascade by reducing activation of caspase-3,and inhibit the apoptosis of neuronal soma,improve survival rate of neuron.The experiment further provides the theoretical evidence for treating peripheral facial paralysis at different clinical stages with acupuncture therapy.