Effects of Electroacupuncture on bcl-2 and bcl-XL in the Degenerative Cervical Intervertebral Disc of Rats / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

ABSTRACT

Objective: To observe the effects of electroacupuncutre at Tianzhu point on the expressions of bcl-2 and bcl-XL in the degenerative cervical intervertebral disc of rats. Methods: Forty SD male rats were randomly divided into 4 groups, sham surgery group, model group, Western medicine group and electroacupuncture group, there were 10 rats in each group. Except for rats in the sham surgery group, rats in the other groups were made to be of cervical intervertebral disc degeneration by unbalanced dynamic and static forces. Rats in the electroacupunture group were treated with electroacupuncture at Tianzhu (BL 10) and Dazhu (BL 11) points, while rats in the Western medicine group with Fenbid, and rats in the model group were not treated. After 30-day treatments, the expressions of bcl-2 and bci-XL were observed with immunohisto-chemical method in the cervical intervertebral disc. Results: The expression of bcl-2 was higher in the electroacupuncture, sham surgery, and western medicine groups than that in the model group (P<0.01), whereas, there was no difference among these three groups. The expression of bcl-XL in the electroacupuncture group was lower than that in the sham surgery group (P<0.01), and higher than those in the Western medicine group and model group (P<0.01). Conclusion: Electroacupuncture treatment can enhance the expressions of bcl-2 and bcl-XL, which may be the mechanism of delaying the cell apoptosis in the intervertebral disc to treat diseases.