Effects Of Electroacupuncture At Jiaji On Autophagy And Endoplasmic Reticulim Stress On The Repair Of Spinal Cord Injury In Mice

Objective :To observe the effect of electroacupuncture at Jiaji points on autophagy and endoplasmic reticulum stress in mice with spinal cord injury(SCI),and to explore its mechanism.Methods :Female C57 BL / 6 mice were randomly divided into sham operation group,SCI group and electroacupuncture group with 20 mice in each group,and each group was further divided into 7-day and 14-day subgroups(10 mice in each subgroup).The SCI of mice was made by compressing the spinal cord with vascular clamp.In the electroacupuncture group,Jiaji points were stimulated at both sides 3hours after the model establishment,once a day,for 7 and 14 days.Basso mouse scale(BMS)was used on the 7th and 14 th day after the model establishment to evaluate the changes of motor function of the hind limbs of mice;HE staining was used to observe histopathologic changes of the spinal cord;Western blot was used to detect the expression changes of glucose regulatory protein-78(GRP78),Caspase-12 and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 Ⅱ(LC3Ⅱ),P62 proteins.Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the immunoactivities of spinal CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein(C/EBP)homologous protein(CHOP,an endoplasmic reticulum stress-inducible protein)and P62.Results:On the 7th and 14 th day after SCI,the BMS scores and expression levels of LC3Ⅱprotein were significantly down-regulated(P<0.05),and the expression levels of P62,GRP78 and Caspase-12 proteins,the immunoactivities of CHOP and P62 were all significantly up-regulated on both day 7 and 14 in the model group than in the sham operation group(P< 0.05).Compared with the model group,the BMS scores and the expression levels of LC3Ⅱprotein were significantly increased on both day 7 and 14(P<0.05),while the expression levels of P62,GRP78 and Caspase-12 proteins,and the immunoactivities of CHOP and P62 were obviously decreased on day 7 and 14 in the EA group(P <0.05).Outcomes of H.E.stain showed that the cells with nuclei pyknosis and swelling and the necrotic cells appeared in the model group,which was relatively fewer in the EA group.Conclusion:Electroacupuncture may be an effective treatment to improve motor dysfunction and neuron necrosis after SCI,and it appears to exert these effects by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress and promoting autophagy...