The Effect of Electro-acupuncture on Caspase-3 of Cell Apoptosis after Spinal Cord Injury of Rats

Objective:With the model rats of acute SCI,the paper investigate how electro-aupuncture affects the expression of neural cell apoptosis and changes of related genes for caspase-3 after spinal cord injury in Rats.The paper tries to show the mechanism of electro-acupuncture on spinal cord injury.Methods:With improved Allen's method to make rats acute SCI,healthy female Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups,including electro-acupuncture group,Z-DEVD-FMK group,the model group and sham-operation group.The neurofunctional comeback of acute spinal cord injury was measured by TUNEL methods.Results:The result of Z-DEVD-FMK group shows:The number of the positive cells for caspase-3 in Z-DEVD-FMK group was much less than that in the model group at 3d(P0.05).The result of electro-acupuncture group shows:The number of the positive cells for caspase-3 in electro-acupuncture group was much less than that in the model group at the 14th day(P0.05).Conclusion:First: There are neuronal cell apoptosis after spinal cord injury.It is mainly pathology mechanism of secondary spinal cord injury.Second:The number of the positive cells for Caspase-3 is gradually increased with the passage of time.It shows that the above related genes may promote apoptosis of neuron and join the mechanism of secondary spinal cord injury.Electro-acupuncture inhibits the number of the positive cells for Caspase-3 in neuron after spinal cord injury in rats,inhibits neron cell apoptosis,reduces secondary spinal cord injury and promotes recovery of neurofunction.