Hua Xi Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao. 1998 Sep; 29(3): 264-8.

[The effect of electroacupuncture stimulation an neurotrophic substance in cat spinal dorsal horn]

Zhang X, Zhou X, Wu L, Bao T.

Research Unit of Histology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu.

For exploration of the mechanism of collateral sprouting from injured spinal cord, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and modified hanging drop culture method were used to examine the effect of acupuncture on the amount and the biological activity of neurotrophic substance in larger than 50 kd fraction of dorsal horn in cat subjected to partial dorsal rhizotomy. The results showed that the amount of protein in relative mobility (RM) 0.1 zone increased significantly in the acupuncture-operated group by PAGE and that of protein in RM 0.5 zone decreased significantly as compared with the unoperated group. While this data was compared with the data of another operated group in our lab, the amount of RM 0.1 protein of the acupuncture-operated group was significantly higher than that of the latter group; however, no obvious difference was noted between the two groups in the amount of RM 0.5 protein. It suggests that acupuncture may promote tha amount of RM 0.1 protein to increase, but acupuncture has no influence on the amount of RM 0.5 protein. Also, the results showed that, in culture, accompanying with the increase in amount, the activity of RM 0.1 protein for promoting DRG neurite-outgrowth increased. This indicates that the RM 0.1 protein has a function to promote DRG neurite-outgrowth, but the RM 0.5 protein has no obvious effect on DRG neurite-outgrowth.