Gastrodin combined with electroacupuncture prevents the development of cerebral ischemia via rebalance of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and interleukin-6 in stroke model rats.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has long been used to treat various diseases, including cerebral ischemia. The specific molecular mechanism of TCM in the treatment of cerebral ischemia, however, is still unclear. This study investigated the effects of gastrodin, electroacupuncture and their combination on cerebral ischemic rats. We used Nissl staining, immunohistochemical staining and immunoblotting to detect the expression changes of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the frontal cortex. The results showed that the combination therapy of gastrodin and electroacupuncture significantly increased the number of Nissl-positive neurons and improved cell morphology compared with other groups. Mechanistically, we found that the combination of gastrodin and electroacupuncture treatment group can restore the abnormal morphology of neuronal cells caused by cerebral ischemia by rebalancing the expression levels of BDNF and IL-6. Our research indicates that gastrodin combined with electroacupuncture has a significant protective effect on cerebral ischemic injury in rats, possibly by regulating the expression of BDNF and IL-6. This combination therapy is superior to single-drug or electroacupuncture therapy.

Electroacupuncture Increases the Expression of Gas7 and NGF in the Prefrontal Cortex of Male Rats with Focal Cerebral Ischemia.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential mechanisms underlying the migration of endogenous neural stem cells (eNSCs) to the frontal cortex to differentiate into neurons, and to monitor the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) regulation of focal cerebral ischemia (FCI) in rats on the expression of growth arrest-specific protein 7 (Gas7) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). METHODS: Randomly, forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: Normal, Sham operation, Model, and EA. The right middle cerebral artery was embolized utilizing the thread-embolism technique. In the EA group, "Baihui" and "Zusanli" points were treated with electroacupuncture for 30 minutes, once a day, for 21 days. Nissl staining revealed the neuronal morphology of the PFC. Using immunohistochemistry and Western blot, the expression of Gas7 and NGF in the right PFC was observed. RESULTS: Nissl staining showed clear PFC neurons with centered nuclei and distinct nucleoli in the Normal and Sham groups. In the Model group, the PFC nuclei were distinctively smaller. The neuronal morphology in the EA group resembled that of the Normal group. Results from Western blot and immunohistochemistry were comparable. The expression of Gas7 and NGF in the Sham surgery group did not differ significantly from the Normal group. However, the expression of Gas7 and NGF in the Model group was significantly lower than in the Normal group. The expression of Gas7 and NGF was significantly higher in the EA group than in the Model group. CONCLUSIONS: EA can increase the expressions of Gas7 and NGF in the ischemic prefrontal cortex, which may be one of the mechanisms by which EA promotes the differentiation of eNSCs into neurons in the injured area.

[Effects of electroacupuncture combined with compound Salviae Miltiorrhizae tablet on the expressions of brain derived neurotrophic factor and vascular endothelial growth factor in hippocampus CA1 of chronic cerebral ischemia rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) combined with Compound Salviae Miltiorrhizae Tablet (CSMT) on the expressions of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in hippocampus CA1 of chronic cerebral ischemia (CCI) rats. METHODS: Totally 50 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the normal control group, the model group, the CSMT group, the EA group, and the EA +CSMT groups, 10 in each group. The CCI model was prepared by permanent bilateral common carotid arteries occlusion. One week after modeling, CSMT at 0.75 g/kg was given to rats in the EA + CSMT group and the CSMT group by gastrogavage, once daily, for 5 successive weeks. EA at Baihui (DU20) and Dazhui (DU14) was performed to rats in the EA group and the EA + CSMT group, lasting for 30 min, once daily, for 5 successive weeks. The expressions of BDNF and VEGF in the hippocampus CA1 area were detected by immunohistochemical assay and image analysis. RESULTS: Compared with the normal control group, the number of positively expressed BDNF and VEGF neurons and their expression intensity in the hippocampus CA1 of the model group obviously decreased (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, the number of positively expressed BDNF and VEGF neurons and their expression intensity in the hippocampus CA1 of the CSMT group, the EA group, and the EA + CSMT groups obviously increased (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The number of positively expressed BDNF and VEGF neurons and their expression intensity were obviously higher in the EA + CSMT group than those of the CSMT group and the EA group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: EA combined with CSMT could significantly increase the expressions of BDNF and VEGF in the hippocampus CA1 of CCl rats. Besides, their effects were significantly higher than those of the CSMT group or the EA group.

[Detection of urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder by multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder is a common malignant neoplasm of the genitourinary system. This study was to analyze chromosome aberrations in urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder in Chinese, and evaluate the possibility and validity of multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (M-FISH) in detecting urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder. METHODS: The probes of chromosome 3, 7, 17 centromeres and 9p21 region were labeled by random primer method. M-FISH was performed on interphase nuclei of 57 samples of urothelial carcinoma to analyze the correlations of chromosome aberration to diagnosis and pathology of urothelial carcinoma. RESULTS: The rate of aneuploidy was 47.4% for chromosome 3, 50.9% for chromosome 7, 56.1% for chromosome 17, and 59.6% for chromosome 9p21 in urothelial carcinoma. All the aberrations had no correlations to tumor stage. The aberrations of chromosomes 3, 7, 17 were significantly correlated to pathologic grade (P<0.01). As using the 4 chromosome probes in combination, the sensitivity for detecting urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder was 54.4%. CONCLUSION: M-FISH may be helpful for detecting urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder.