PMID:
Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2019 Oct 12 ;39(10):1081-6. PMID: 31621261
Abstract Title:
[Effect of electroacupuncture at Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway on inhibiting cartilage degeneration in rats with knee osteoarthritis].
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: To explore the action mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) based on Wnt/beta-catenin (Wnt/β-catenin) signaling pathway.METHODS: Ten rats were randomly selected into a sham-operation group among 50 male 2-month-old SD rats, and the KOA model was established in the remaining 40 rats by modified Hulth method. Four weeks after the model establishment, the rats were randomly divided into a model group, an experimental A group, an experimental B group and an experimental C group, 10 rats in each group. The rats in the sham-operation group and model group did not receive any intervention. The rats in the experimental A group were treated with EA at"Neixiyan"(EX-LE 4) and"Dubi"(ST 35) for 15 min. The rats in the experimental B group were treated with EA at"Neixiyan"(EX-LE 4) and"Dubi"(ST 35) for 30 min. The rats in the experimental C group were treated with EA at non-acupoint for 15 min. EA intervention was given once a day, five times a week, and totally 12-week treatment was given. After 12 weeks, the knee cartilage tissues were stained and the morphological changes were observed under light microscopy; the severity of cartilage degeneration was evaluated by modified Mankin's score; the content of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in synovium tissues was detected by ELISA method; the content of Wnt-4, β-catenin and matrix metalloprotein-13 (MMP-13) in cartilage tissues was detected by Western blot method.RESULTS: Compared with the sham-operation group, in the model group the morphology and structure of cartilage were disordered, the number of cells was significantly reduced, the matrix was decontaminated and tidal line was incomplete; the Mankin's score was significantly increased (