Acta Anatomica Sinica

AAS ›› 2016, Vol. ›› Issue (2): 185-190.doi: 10.16098/j.issn.0529-1356.2016.02.006

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Effect of small interferon RNA combined with electro-acupuncture on the expression of connective tissue growth factor after spinal cord injury in rats

ZHAO Wei1 CHAI Yong2 FANG Qing-min1 YANG Cheng 2*   

  1. 1.Spinal Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University; 2. Department of Anatomy, Binzhou Medical University, Shandong Binzhou 256603， China
  • Received:2015-09-18 Revised:2015-11-02 Online:2016-04-06 Published:2016-04-06
  • Contact: YANG Cheng E-mail:yangchxn@163.com

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the effect of treatment with connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) siRNA combined with electric acupuncture therapy on spinal CTGF expression in rats after spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods Seventy-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups: Normal group, SCI group, electric acupuncture group (EA), CTGF siRNA treatment group (CTGF), CTGF siRNA treatment combined with electric acupuncture group (EA + CTGF). The SCI model was made via completely transecting spinal cord at the T10 level, and gelatin sponges soaked with CTGF siRNA and invivofectamine were transplanted into spinal cord in the CTGF group and the EA + CTGF group, while in vivofectamine was injected into the rats of the SCI group and EA group instead. After transplantation, the rats in the EA+CTGF and EA group were electroacupunctured at a fixed time point every day. The injured spinal cords in each group were obtained at day 3, 7 and 14, respectively. The morphology of tissue, spinal CTGF、transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)、GFAP protein and CTGF、TGF-β1、GFAP mRNA were examined through immunofluorescent method, Western blotting and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) techniques. Results Western blotting showed that compared with the SCI group, spinal CTGF、TGF-β1、GFAP expression in both the CTGF group and the EA + CTGF group reduced significantly (P<0.05), and compared with the CTGF group, proteins in EA + CTGF group decreased significantly (P<0.05). RT-PCR results revealed that CTGF、TGF-β1、GFAP mRNA levels in the EA + CTGF group were significantly lower than that in the SCI、EA、CTGF group, demonstrating significant difference and consistent with the case of CTGF、TGF-β1、GFAP protein expression as revealed by Western blotting (P<0.01). Immunofluorescence showed that CTGF-positive cells had hyperplasia and hypertrophy due to injury in the SCI group；CTGF increased expression significantly in the cells. Compared with SCI group, CTGF expression and the number of CTGF-positive cells showed decreasing tendency post treatment with CTGF siRNA. CTGF expression near the damaged area in the EA + CTGF group was the weakest showing similar expression level to the intact spinal part. Conclusion CTGF siRNA combined with electric acupuncture can effectively prevent the expression of CTGF mRNA and CTGF and the formation colloid scar in spinal cord of rats after SCI, hereby conducive to the recovery of neurological function.