Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine ›› 2025, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (4): 786-795.DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2025.04.009
• Original Articles • Previous Articles Next Articles
WU Haoyang1, Liu Yuan1, CHEN Yuzhou1, XIE Yizhou1, ZHONG Lei2, YU Yang2(
), FAN Xiaohong2(
)
Received:2024-10-22
Accepted:2025-02-28
Online:2025-08-15
Published:2025-07-25
Contact:
YU Yang,FAN Xiaohong
About author:Prof. YU Yang, Department of Orthopaedics, Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610075, China. spine_yy@163.com,Telephone: +86-13981888850Supported by:WU Haoyang, Liu Yuan, CHEN Yuzhou, XIE Yizhou, ZHONG Lei, YU Yang, FAN Xiaohong. Effect of pestle needle therapy on the posterior cervical muscle in a rabbit model of cervical spondylosis[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2025, 45(4): 786-795.
Figure 1 PNT exerts a positive effect on PCM injury in CS rabbit A: pain threshold; B: HE staining (× 200, scale bar: 100 μm). Yellow arrow: degenerated and necrotic cells; Red arrow: inflammatory cells; Green arrow: fibrous hyperplasia. C: Masson staining (× 400, scale bar: 50 μm); D: calculation of Masson staining PA %; E: IHC staining of Col1α1 (× 200, scale bar: 40 μm). B1, C1, E1: CON; B2, C2, E2: CS1; B3, C3, E3: EA; B4, C4, E4: PN1. F: calculation of Col1α1 PA %. CON group: normal healthy rabbits were immobilized without any restriction on the neck for 42 d; CS1 group: rabbits subjected to CS model induce for 42 d without treatment; EA group: CS model rabbits treated with electroacupuncture once 30 min daily for 21 d; PN1 group: CS model rabbits treated with PNT once 35 min daily for 21 d. PNT: pestle needle therapy; HE: hematoxylin-eosin; CON: control group; CS1: cervical spondylosis group 1; EA: electroacupuncture group; PN1: pestle needle thrapy group 1; IHC: immunohistochemistry; Col1α1: collagen type I alpha 1; PA: positive area. Statistical analyses were measured using one-way analysis of variance followed by Fisher’s least significant difference post hoc test, and the data were expressed as the mean ± standard deviation (n = 6 for each group). Compared with the CON group, aP < 0.001, cP < 0.01; compared with the CS group, eP < 0.001, bP < 0.01, dP < 0.05.
Figure 2 PNT promote PCM apoptosis and promote autophagy in CS rabbits A: TUNEL staining (× 400; scale bar: 50 μm). A1-4: merge; A5-8: DAPI; A9-12: TUNEL. A1, A5, A9: CON; A2, A6, A10: CS1; A3, A7, A11: EA; A4, A8, A12: PN1. Red circle: bright band; green circle: dark band; yellow arrow: M line; light blue arrow: Z line; red arrow: mitochondria; dark blue arrow: sarcoplasmic reticulum; purple arrow: autophagosome. B: calculation of TUNEL-positive cells percentage. C: WB bands for Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase-3; D: relative protein expression of Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase-3; E: TEM observation (× 30 000, scale bar: 500 nm). E1: CON; E2: CS1; E3: EA; E4: PN1. F: WB bands for P62, LC3-I, and LC3-II. G: relative protein expression of P62, and LC3-II/I. H: relative mRNA level of ATG5, ATG7. CON group: normal healthy rabbits were immobilized without any restriction on the neck for 42 d; CS1 group: rabbits subjected to CS model induce for 42 d without treatment; EA group: CS model rabbits treated with electroacupuncture once 30 min daily for 21 d; PN1 group: CS model rabbits treated with PNT once 35 min daily for 21 d. TUNEL: terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated DUTP nick end labeling; DAPI: 4',6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole; CON: control group; CS1: cervical spondylosis group 1; EA: electroacupuncture group; PN1: pestle needle therapy group 1; WB: Western bolt; Bax: Bcl-2 associated X protein; Bcl-2: B-cell lymphoma-2; Caspase-3: cysteine aspartate-specific protease-3; TEM: transmission electron microscope; P62: sequestosome-1; LC3: microtubule-associated protein light chain 3; ATG: autophagy protein; mRNA: messenger ribonucleic acid; PNT: pestle needle therapy; CON: control; CS: cervical spondylosis; EA: electroacupuncture; PN: pestle needle. Statistical analyses were measured using one-way analysis of variance followed by Fisher’s least significant difference post hoc test, and the data were expressed as the mean ± standard deviation (n = 6 for each group). Compared with the CON group, aP < 0.001, eP < 0.01; compared with the CS group, cP < 0.001, bP < 0.01, and dP < 0.05.
Figure 3 PNT inhibit the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in CS rabbits A: WB bands for PI3K, AKT, and mTOR; B: relative protein expression of PI3K, AKT, and mTOR; C: relative mRNA level of PI3K, AKT, and mTOR. CON group: normal healthy rabbits were immobilized without any restriction on the neck for 42 d; CS1 group: rabbits subjected to CS model induce for 42 d without treatment; EA group: CS model rabbits treated with electroacupuncture once 30 min daily for 21 d; PN1 group: CS model rabbits treated with PNT once 35 min daily for 21 d. CON: control group; CS1: cervical spondylosis group 1; EA: electroacupuncture group; PN1: pestle needle therapy group 1; WB: Western bolt; mRNA: messenger ribonucleic acid; PI3K: phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; AKT: protein kinase B; mTOR: mammalian target of rapamycin; PNT: pestle needle therapy; CON: control; CS: cervical spondylosis; EA: electroacupuncture; PN: pestle needle. Statistical analyses were measured using one-way analysis of variance followed by Fisher’s least significant difference post hoc test, and the data were expressed as the mean ± standard deviation (n = 6 for each group). Compared with the CON group, aP < 0.001, dP < 0.01; compared with the CS group, bP < 0.01, dP < 0.05.
Figure 4 Rescue experiment A: WB bands for PI3K, P62, LC3-I, LC3-Ⅱ, Bax, Bcl-2 and Caspase-3 staining in PCM tissues; B: relative protein expression of PI3K, P62, and LC3-Ⅱ/Ⅰ; C: relative protein expression of Bax, Bcl-2 and Caspase-3. AVT group: CS model inducing by LNI for 42 d and received a 2 mL 740 Y-P (0.2 g/L) injection in the PCM for 5 d; C-AVT group: CS model rabbits treated with PNT for 21 d and received a 2 mL 740 Y-P (0.2 g/L) injection in the PCM for 5 d; CS2 group: CS model inducing by LNI for 42 d without treatment; PN2 group: CS model rabbits treated with PNT once 35 min daily for 21 d. AVT: activators group; C-AVT: pestle needle combined activators group; CS2: cervical spondylosis group 2; PN2: pestle needle therapy group 2; LNI: long-term neck immobilization; WB: Western bolt; PI3K: phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; P62: sequestosome-1; LC3: microtubule-associated protein light chain 3; Bax: Bcl-2 associated X protein; Bcl-2: B-cell lymphoma-2; Caspase-3: cysteine aspartate-specific protease-3. The data were expressed as the mean ± standard deviation of the mean (n = 5 for each group). Compared with the C-AVT group, aP < 0.001; compared with the PN2 group, bP < 0.001, eP < 0.01, hP < 0.05; compared with the AVT group cP < 0.001, fP < 0.01, iP < 0.05; compared with the CS2 group, dP < 0.001, gP < 0.01.
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