Rehabilitation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Department of Rehabilitation, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China.
Acupunct Med. 2013 Jun;31(2):214-21. doi: 10.1136/acupmed-2012-010289. Epub 2013 Mar 21.
Electro-acupuncture (EA) treatment has been shown to decrease pain and improve the function of ovariectomised (OVX) rats with osteoarthritis (OA); however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
We used OVX rabbits to replicate natural human menopausal processes and to evaluate whether EA could be used to prevent and treat postmenopausal OA.
The rabbits were randomly divided into four groups of eight: a normal control group (NC), an OVX group, an ERT group (oestrogen replacement therapy after OVX) and an EA group (EA therapy after OVX). After the interventions, all of the animals were killed. Serum oestrogen levels and body weight were measured. The transcription of matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) mRNA was detected using reverse transcriptase-PCR. Modified Mankin scores were used for histological assessment. Expression of MMP-13 in cartilage was determined by immunohistochemistry.
Both the EA group and the ERT group had increased serum oestrogen levels (p=0.028, p=0.037 respectively), as well as decreased expression of MMP-13 (p=0.000, p=0.000, respectively), relative to the OVX group. The body weight of the EA group was lower than that of the OVX group and the NC group (p=0.007), as well as the ERT group (p=0.010).
EA could be a new method for preventing and treating postmenopausal OA by producing endogenous sex hormones that inhibit the expression of MMP-13 and cause weight loss with no side effects and a relatively low cost.
电针（EA）治疗已被证明可减轻疼痛并改善患有骨关节炎（OA）的去卵巢（OVX）大鼠的功能；然而，其潜在机制尚不清楚。
我们使用去卵巢兔来复制自然的人类绝经过程，并评估 EA 是否可用于预防和治疗绝经后 OA。
将兔子随机分为四组，每组 8 只：正常对照组（NC）、OVX 组、ERT 组（OVX 后雌激素替代治疗）和 EA 组（OVX 后 EA 治疗）。干预后，所有动物均被处死。测量血清雌激素水平和体重。采用逆转录 PCR 检测基质金属蛋白酶 13（MMP-13）mRNA 的转录。改良的 Mankin 评分用于组织学评估。通过免疫组织化学检测软骨中 MMP-13 的表达。
EA 组和 ERT 组的血清雌激素水平均升高（p=0.028，p=0.037），MMP-13 的表达降低（p=0.000，p=0.000），与 OVX 组相比。EA 组的体重低于 OVX 组和 NC 组（p=0.007），以及 ERT 组（p=0.010）。
EA 可能是通过产生内源性性激素来预防和治疗绝经后 OA 的一种新方法，这种方法可抑制 MMP-13 的表达并导致体重减轻，没有副作用，且成本相对较低。
