Effects of Electroacupuncture and Intracerebral Injection of VEGF on Caspase12, Caspase3, and GRP78 Genes in Rats with Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Objective To determine the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) and intracerebral injection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on caspase12, caspase3, and glucose regulated protein 78 kD (GRP78) genes of rats with cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury. Methods 60 SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group, model group, EA group and EA+VEGF group with 15 rats in each group. Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) method was used to establish the model of cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury. Electro-acupuncture intervention was introduced 1 day after the injury in the EA group and EA+VEGF group: 30 minutes each session and once a day for a total of 14 d 〔acupoint selection: Baihui (GV 20), Quchi(Li 11), Zusanli (ST36)〕. The rats in the EA+VEGF group were also injected with 10 μL of VEGF165 (0.025 μg/μL) into the lateral ventricle after the first session of EA. Five rats in each group were sacrificed after obtaining a neurological function score (mNSS) at day 0 (1 d after modeling, before EA intervention), day 7 and day 14, respectively. Nissl staining was used to observe the histomorphology of cerebral infarction areas. Immunohistochemistry was used to CM(155mmdetect GRP78 activity in the ischemic brain tissues. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (real-time PCR) was used to detect the expressions of caspase12, caspase3 and GRP78 mRNA in the ischemic brain tissues. Results Compared with the sham-operation group, rats in the model group had higher mNSS scores ( P<0.05), showed signs of cerebral infarction (with reduced numbers of and disordered Nissl bodies and unclear structure), increased GRP78 immunopositive cells, increased expression of GRP78 mRNA ( P<0.05), and increased expressions of caspase12 and caspase3 mRNA ( P<0.05). Compared with the model group, EA and EA+VEGF decreased mNSS scores at day 7 and 14 ( P<0.05), showing alleviated signs of cerebral infarction, increased GRP78 immunopositive cells ( P<0.05), increased GRP78 mRNA expression ( P<0.05),and decreased caspase12 and caspase3 mRNA expressions ( P<0.05). The most obvious changes were found in the EA+VEGF group ( P<0.05). No significant changes were observed in the sham-operation group over time ( P<0.05). In comparison, mNSS scores, the signs of cerebral infarction, and the expressions of caspase12 and caspase3 decreased over time in the other groups ( P<0.05), accompanied with increased GRP78 immunopositive cells and the expression of GRP78 gene ( P<0.05). Conclusion Electroacupuncture and intracerebral injection of VEGF promote tissue repair of rats with cerebral ischemic injury, possibly through down-regulating the expressions of caspase12 and caspase3 genes and up-regulating the expression of GRP78 gene. The effect of electroacupuncture in combination with intracerebral injection of VEGF is superior to that of the single use of electroacupuncture.