Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8574, Japan.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8574, Japan.
Exp Neurol. 2020 Jun;328:113251. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113251. Epub 2020 Feb 19.
Low-energy extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been used to treat various human diseases. Previous studies have shown that low-energy ESWT promotes the release of various cell growth factors and trophic factors from the cells surrounding the target lesion. The aim of the current study was to determine whether the application of low-energy ESWT upregulates the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and reduces neural tissue damage and functional impairment using a rat model of thoracic spinal cord contusion injury. We found that low-energy ESWT promoted BDNF expression in the damaged neural tissue. The expression of BDNF was increased in various neural cells at the lesion. Additionally, low-energy ESWT increased the area of spared white matter and the number of oligodendrocytes in the injured spinal cord compared with untreated control animals. There were more axonal fibers around the injured site after the application of low-energy ESWT than control. Importantly, low-energy ESWT improved the locomotor functions evaluated by both the BBB scale and ladder rung walking test in addition to the sensory function measured using a von Frey test. Moreover, the electrophysiological assessment confirmed that the conductivity of the central motor pathway in the injured spinal cord was restored by low-energy ESWT. These findings indicate that low-energy ESWT promotes BDNF expression at the lesion site and reduces the neural tissue damage and functional impairment following spinal cord injury. Our results support the potential application of low-energy ESWT as a novel therapeutic strategy for treating spinal cord injury.
低能量体外冲击波疗法（ESWT）已被用于治疗各种人类疾病。先前的研究表明，低能量 ESWT 可促进靶病变周围细胞释放各种细胞生长因子和营养因子。本研究旨在确定低能量 ESWT 是否通过胸段脊髓挫伤损伤大鼠模型，上调脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）的表达，减少神经组织损伤和功能障碍。我们发现，低能量 ESWT 可促进损伤神经组织中 BDNF 的表达。BDNF 在病变处的各种神经细胞中表达增加。此外，与未治疗的对照组动物相比，低能量 ESWT 增加了损伤脊髓中保留的白质面积和少突胶质细胞数量。在应用低能量 ESWT 后，损伤部位周围有更多的轴突纤维。重要的是，低能量 ESWT 改善了 BBB 量表和阶梯行走测试评估的运动功能，以及 von Frey 测试评估的感觉功能。此外，电生理评估证实，低能量 ESWT 可恢复损伤脊髓中中枢运动通路的传导。这些发现表明，低能量 ESWT 可促进病变部位 BDNF 的表达，减少脊髓损伤后的神经组织损伤和功能障碍。我们的结果支持低能量 ESWT 作为治疗脊髓损伤的一种新的治疗策略的潜在应用。
