Department of Standard Research, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
J Neuroimmunol. 2010 Jun;223(1-2):84-91. doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2010.04.005. Epub 2010 May 10.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a paralyzing disorder that is characterized by the progressive degeneration and death of motor neurons. Acupuncture or electroacupuncture (EA) has been used for the treatment of various conditions including osteoarthritis, asthma, and other types of chronic pain conditions. It has been hypothesized that acupuncture exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive effects on inflammatory reactions processes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether acupuncture at a specific acupoint could produce anti-inflammatory responses and suppress motor neuron loss in the hG93ASOD1 mouse, commonly used as a model for inherited ALS. We delivered EA at the Zusanli (ST36) acupuncture point in the symptomatic hSOD1G93A animal model. The EA-treated mutant hSOD1 transgenic mice showed decreases in microglial cell activity and TNF-alpha expression in the spinal cord and brain stem. Furthermore, EA significantly improved motor activity compared to the control group and reduced neuronal cell loss in hSOD1G93A mice. Our research suggests a potential functional link between EA therapy and anti-neuroinflammatory response in an ALS animal model.
肌萎缩侧索硬化症（ALS）是一种瘫痪性疾病，其特征是运动神经元的进行性退化和死亡。针灸或电针（EA）已被用于治疗各种疾病，包括骨关节炎、哮喘和其他类型的慢性疼痛疾病。据推测，针灸对炎症反应过程具有抗炎和抗伤害作用。本研究的目的是确定针刺特定穴位是否可以在 hG93ASOD1 小鼠中产生抗炎反应并抑制运动神经元的丧失，hG93ASOD1 小鼠通常被用作遗传性 ALS 的模型。我们在有症状的 hSOD1G93A 动物模型中进行了足三里（ST36）穴位的 EA 治疗。EA 治疗的突变 hSOD1 转基因小鼠显示脊髓和脑干中的小胶质细胞活性和 TNF-α表达降低。此外，与对照组相比，EA 显著改善了运动活动，并减少了 hSOD1G93A 小鼠的神经元细胞丢失。我们的研究表明，在 ALS 动物模型中，EA 治疗与抗神经炎症反应之间存在潜在的功能联系。
