Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Electroacupuncture improves behavioral recovery and increases SCF/c-kit expression in a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Neurological Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) in promoting behavioral recovery after focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. The SD rats received filament occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery for 2 h followed by reperfusion for 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days, respectively. Rats were randomly divided into sham group, model group and EA group. After 2 h of the reperfusion, EA was given at bilateral “Hegu” point (LI 4) in the EA group. Neurobehavioral evaluation, the expression of stem cell factor (SCF), its receptor c-kit and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) protein and mRNA in the cortical ischemic region were measured. EA treatment can improve behavioral recovery after ischemia/reperfusion. Compared with the sham group, the positive cells and mRNA expression of SCF, c-kit, MMP-9, the protein expression of SCF were increased significantly in the model and EA groups (P < 0.001). Compared with the model group, the positive cells, protein and mRNA expression of SCF were increased significantly in EA groups (P < 0.01). The positive cells and mRNA expression of c-kit were increased in EA groups beginning at 3 day and remained significantly high thereafter. The expression of MMP-9 positive cells and mRNA were deceased significantly in the 1 day subgroup in EA (P < 0.01), but increased significantly in the 3, 7 days subgroups (P < 0.01). We conclude that EA treatment up-regulates the positive cells and mRNA expression of SCF, c-kit and MMP-9 after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. EA may promote neurobehavioral recovery by increasing the protein and mRNA expression of SCF, c-kit and MMP-9 after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

EPCs:

Endothelial progenitor cells

SCF:

Stem cell factor

MMP-9:

Matrix metalloproteinase-9

EA:

Electroacupuncture

PBS:

Phosphate buffer saline

NSCs:

Neuronal stem cells

HSCs:

Hematopoietic stem cells

SKitL:

Soluble kit ligand

MKitL:

Membrane bound kit ligand

PB:

Peripheral blood

BM:

Bone marrow

References

  1. Wang CX, Li ZR, Chen BY (2006) Protective effect of electroacupuncture on cerebral function via ameliorating oxidative stress in MCAO rats. Neurosci Bull 21:153–157

    Google Scholar 

  2. Murayama T, Tepper OM, Silver M et al (2002) Determination of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cell significance in angiogenic growth factor-induced neovascularization in vivo. Exp Hematol 30:967–972

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Ohta T, Kikuta K, Imamura H et al (2006) Administration of ex vivo-expanded bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells attenuates focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats. Neurosurgery 59:679–686

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Fan Y, Shen F, Frenzel T et al (2010) Endothelial progenitor cell transplantation improves long-term outcome in mice. Ann Neurol 67:488–497

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Ma JX, Luo Y (2007) Effect of electroacupuncture on expression of angiogenic growth factors and anti-angiogenic growth factors in the brain tissue of the rat after focal cerebral ischemia reperfusion. Chin Acupunct Moxibustion 27:129–133

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Wu L, Luo Y, Zhang SS (2010) Effects of electroacupuncture on mRNA and protein expression of placental growth factor and Flt-1 and promotes revascularization in the brain after focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in SD rats. Chin J Arterioscler 18:589–593

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Cai SX, Yu WJ, Zhang L et al (2009) Effect of electroacupuncture on plasma endogenous endothelial progenitor cell counts in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion rats. Acupunct Res 34:114–119

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Zhang T, Lin T, Wang XZ et al (2009) The influence of electroacupuncture pretreatment to endothelial progenitor cells and vessel endothelial growth factor in marrow and peripheral blood of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion rats. Chin J Rehabil Med 24:428–432

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Jin KL, Mao XO, Sun XJ et al (2002) Stem cell factor stimulates neurogenesis in vitro and in vivo. J Clin Invest 110:311–319

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Sun LX, Lee J, Fine HA (2004) Neuronally expressed stem cell factor induces neural stem cell migration to areas of brain injury. J Clin Invest 113:1364–1374

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Longa EZ, Weinstein PR, Carlson S et al (1989) Reversible middle cerebral artery occlusion without craniectomy in rats. Stroke 20:84–91

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Luo Y, Dong WW (2002) An experimentaI study on focaI cerebraI ischemia/reperfusion model in Wistar rats with suture method. J Chongqing Med Univ 27:1–4

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Hua XB, Li CR, Zhou HL et al (1991) Development of the atlas of acupoints for rat. Exp Anim and Anim 1:1–5

    Google Scholar 

  14. Zhang HL, Gu ZL, Savitz SI et al (2008) Neuroprotective effects of prostaglandin A1 in rat models of permanent focal cerebral ischemia are associated with nuclear factor-kappaB inhibition and peroxisome proliferators- activated receptor gamma up-regulation. J Neurosci Res 86:1132–1141

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Han ZB, Ren H, Zhao H et al (2008) Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 alpha directly enhances the transcriptional activity of stem cell factor (SCF) in response to hypoxia and epidermal growth factor (EGF). Carcinogenesis 29:1853–1861

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Fazel S, Cimini M, Chen L et al (2006) Cardioprotective ckit + cells are from the bone marrow and regulate the myocardial balance of angiogenic cytokines. J Clin Invest 116:1865–1877

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Dhandapani KM, Wade FM, Wakade C et al (2005) Neuroprotection by stem cell factor in rat cortical neurons involves AKT and NFkappaB. J Neurochem 95:9–19

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Abu El-Asrar AM, Struyf S, Opdenakker G et al (2010) Expression of stem cell factor/c-kit signaling pathway components in diabetic fibrovascular epiretinal membranes. Mol Vis 16:1098–1107

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Kuang D, Zhao X, Xiao GX et al (2008) Stem cell factor/c-kit signaling mediated cardiac stem cell migration via activation of p38 MAPK. Basic Res Cardiol 103:265–273

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Asahara T, Murohara T, Sullivan A et al (1997) Isolation of putative progenitor endothelial cells for angiogenesis. Science 5320:964–967

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Takahashi T, Kalka C, Masuda H et al (1999) Ischemia-and cytokine induced mobilization of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells for neovascularization. Nat Med 5:434–438

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Zhang SS, Luo Y, Wu L (2010) Role of phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT signaling pathway in promoting angiogenesis in rats with focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion using electrical acupuncture. Acta Academiae Medicinae Militaris Tertiae 32:2488–2491

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Wang YN, Xu JM (2007) Progress on marker of hematopoietic stem cell-ACl33. Chin J New Drugs Clin Rem 26:708–714

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Romanic AM, White RF, Arleth AJ et al (1998) Matrix metalloproteinase expression increases after cerebral focal ischemia in rats: inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-9 reduces infarct size. Stroke 29:1020–1030

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Heissig B, Hattori K, Dias S et al (2002) Recruitment of stem and progenitor cells from the bone marrow niche requires MMP-9 mediated release of kit-ligand. Cell 109:625–637

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Huang EJ, Nocka KH, Buck J et al (1992) Differential expression and processing of two cell associated forms of the kit ligand KL-1 and KL-2. Mol Biol Cell 3:349–362

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Dong H, Fan YH, Zhang W et al (2009) Repeated electroacupuncture preconditioning attenuates matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression and activity after focal cerebral ischemia in rats. Neurol Res 31:853–858

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Zhao Y, Chen SJ, Yu WJ et al (2010) The effect of electroacupuncture on endogenous EPCs and serum cytokines in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion rat. J Biomed Eng 27:1322–1326

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Smith MA, Court EL, Smith JG (2001) Stem cell factor: laboratory and clinical aspects. Blood Rev 15:191–197

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Matsumoto T, Ii M, Nishimura H et al (2010) Lnk-dependent axis of SCF-cKit signal for osteogenesis in bone fracture healing. J Exp Med 207:2207–2223

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Dentelli P, Rosso A, Balsamo A et al (2007) C-kit, by interacting with the membrane-bound ligand, recruits endothelial progenitor cells to inflamed endothelium. Blood 109:4264–4271

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Kim KL, Meng Y, Kim JY et al (2011) Direct and differential effects of stem cell factor on the neovascularization activity of endothelial progenitor cells. Cardiovascular Res 92:132–140

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The research was supported by the Special Fund for Scientific Research of Doctorial Subjects in College and Universities of Ministry of Education (NO:20095503110001) and the Program of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Research of Chongqing Municipal Health Bureau (2005-B-24).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, 1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, 400016, Chongqing, China

    Taoli Lu, Yong Luo, Hongyi Sun, Wenyi Qin & Yang Li

Authors
  1. Taoli Lu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yong Luo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hongyi Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Wenyi Qin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yang Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yong Luo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lu, T., Luo, Y., Sun, H. et al. Electroacupuncture improves behavioral recovery and increases SCF/c-kit expression in a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. Neurol Sci 34, 487–495 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-012-1081-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-012-1081-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation