Protective effects of acupuncture and LGNHFD on expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and cluster of differentiation 34 in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effects of electroacupuncture and LGNHFD on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury, and their effects on the expression of cluster of differentiation 34 (CD 34), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in the peripheral tissue of the cerebral ischemic semi-dark zone in rats. The influence and mechanism of expression. METHODS: Healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group, model group, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) group, electroacupuncture group, and acupuncture group. The cerebral ischemia model was prepared by middle artery occlusion. The electroacupuncture and TCM groups received electroacupuncture at the ""Neiguan (PC6)"", ""Baihui (GV20)"", and ""Renzhong (GV26)"" acupoints from 4 h after modeling, once daily for 14 d. After modeling, the acupuncture and TCM groups were administered LGNHFD once daily for 14 d. After treatment, the infarct volume and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were measured in each group, the expression of CD34 in the surrounding ischemic penumbra was determined using immunohistochemistry, and the expression of angiogenesis-related factors in the ischemic hemisphere was detected by western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the sham operation group, rCBF was significantly decreased (P < 0.01) and cerebral infarction volume was significantly increased (P < 0.01) in the model group at four time points (5 min and 3, 7, and 14 d after modeling). At three postoperative time points (3, 7, and 14 d), the number of CD34+ cells in the model group were significantly increased (P < 0.01), and the relative expression levels of VEGF, bFGF, and CD34+ in the ischemic hemisphere were significantly increased (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, the rCBF of the acupuncture group was significantly increased at 3, 7, and 14 d after intervention (P < 0.01), while the rCBF of the electroacupuncture and TCM groups was significantly increased at 7 and 14 d after intervention (P < 0.01). After 3, 7, and 14 d of intervention, infarct volume was significantly reduced (P < 0.01), the number of CD34+ cells was significantly increased (P < 0.01, P < 0.05), and the relative expression levels of VEGF, bFGF, and CD34 in the ischemic hemisphere were significantly increased (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Compared with the electroacupuncture and TCM groups, the rCBF of the acupuncture group was significantly increased (P < 0.01), the infarct volume was significantly reduced (P < 0.01), and the relative expression levels of VEGF, bFGF, and CD34 were significantly increased (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) after 3, 7, and 14 d of intervention. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture therapy is superior to simple drug and electroacupuncture therapy for reducing infarct volume, increasing rCBF and CD34 expression in cells, and promoting capillary regeneration in rats with cerebral ischemia. This may be related to the increased expression of VEGF, bFGF, and CD34 - which are related to cerebrovascular neovascularization - in the ischemic hemispheres of such rats.