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BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
Published in: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 1/2016

Open Access 01-12-2016 | Research article

Early electroacupuncture treatment ameliorates neuroinflammation in rats with traumatic brain injury

Authors: Wei-Chen Tang, Yao-Chin Hsu, Che-Chuan Wang, Chiao-Ya Hu, Chung-Ching Chio, Jinn-Rung Kuo

Published in: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies | Issue 1/2016

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Abstract

Background

Neuroinflammation is the leading cause of neurological sequelae after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the neuroprotective effects of electroacupuncture (EA) are mediated by anti-neuroinflammatory effects in a rat model of TBI.

Methods

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: sham-operated, TBI control, and EA-treated. The animals in the sham-operated group underwent a sham operation, those in the TBI control group were subjected to TBI, but not EA, and those in the EA group were treated with EA for 60 min immediately after TBI, daily for 3 consecutive days. EA was applied at the acupuncture points GV20, GV26, LI4, and KI1, using a dense-dispersed wave, at frequencies of 0.2 and 1 Hz, and an amplitude of 1 mA. Cell infarction volume (TTC stain), neuronal apoptosis (markers: TUNEL and Caspase-3), activation of microglia (marker: Iba1) and astrocytes (marker: GFAP), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α expression in the microglia and astrocytes were evaluated by immunofluorescence. Functional outcomes were assessed using the inclined plane test. All tests were performed 72 h after TBI.

Results

We found that TBI-induced loss of grasp strength, infarction volume, neuronal apoptosis, microglial and astrocyte activation, and TNF-α expression in activated microglia and astrocytes were significantly attenuated by EA treatment.

Conclusions

Treatment of TBI in the acute stage with EA for 60 min daily for 3 days could ameliorate neuroinflammation. This may thus represent a mechanism by which functional recovery can occur after TBI.
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Metadata
Title
Early electroacupuncture treatment ameliorates neuroinflammation in rats with traumatic brain injury
Authors
Wei-Chen Tang
Yao-Chin Hsu
Che-Chuan Wang
Chiao-Ya Hu
Chung-Ching Chio
Jinn-Rung Kuo
Publication date
01-12-2016
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies / Issue 1/2016
Electronic ISSN: 2662-7671
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-016-1457-6

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