Electroacupuncture promotes peripheral nerve regeneration after facial nerve crush injury and upregulates the expression of glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor

作     者：Jing Fei Lin Gao Huan-Huan Li Qiong-Lan Yuan Lei-Ji Li 

作者机构：Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology Tongji University School of Medicine 

出 版 物：《Neural Regeneration Research》 (中国神经再生研究（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2019年第14卷第4期

页      面：673-682页

核心收录：

学科分类：0710[理学-生物学] 1002[医学-临床医学] 1001[医学-基础医学(可授医学、理学学位)] 1010[医学-医学技术（可授医学、理学学位）] 100104[医学-病理学与病理生理学] 100215[医学-康复医学与理疗学] 10[医学] 

主　　题：nerve regeneration facial paralysis electroacupuncture glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor N-cadherin crush injury neuronal apoptosis facial neuron nerve demyelination neural regeneration 

摘      要：The efficacy of electroacupuncture in the treatment of peripheral facial paralysis is known, but the specific mechanism has not been clarified. Glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor(GDNF) has been shown to protect neurons by binding to N-cadherin. Our previous results have shown that electroacupuncture could increase the expression of N-cadherin mRNA in facial neurons and promote facial nerve regeneration. In this study, the potential mechanisms by which electroacupuncture promotes nerve regeneration were elucidated through assessing the effects of electroacupuncture on GDNF and N-cadherin expression in facial motoneurons of rabbits with peripheral facial nerve crush injury. New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into a normal group(normal control, n = 21), injury group(n = 45) and electroacupuncture group(n = 45). Model rabbits underwent facial nerve crush injury only. Rabbits in the electroacupuncture group received facial nerve injury, and then underwent electroacupuncture at Yifeng(TE17), Jiache(ST6), Sibai(ST2), Dicang(ST4), Yangbai(GB14), Quanliao(SI18), and Hegu(LI4; only acupuncture, no electrical stimulation). The results showed that in behavioral assessments, the total scores of blink reflex, vibrissae movement, and position of apex nasi, were markedly lower in the EA group than those in the injury group. Hematoxylin-eosin staining of the right buccinator muscle of each group showed that the cross-sectional area of buccinator was larger in the electroacupuncture group than in the injury group on days 1, 14 and 21 post-surgery. Toluidine blue staining of the right facial nerve tissue of each group revealed that on day 14 post-surgery, there was less axonal demyelination and fewer inflammatory cells in the electroacupuncture group compared with the injury group. Quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction showed that compared with the injury group, N-cadherin mRNA levels on days 4, 7, 14 and 21 and GDNF mRNA levels on days 4, 7 and 14 were significa