Effects of Chifeng Yingyuan acupuncture method on Ras/MEK/ERK signaling pathway in a rat model of facial nerve injury
Objective To investigate the effects of the Chifeng Yingyuan acupuncture method on the ultra microstructure of facial nerves,mitogen-activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase(MEK),extracellular signal-regulated kinase(ERK),and serum KRas protein expressions.Methods SD rats were randomized into blank control,model,conventional acupuncture,and Chifeng Yingyuan acupuncture groups,with eight rats in each group.Except for the rats in the blank control group,which were raised normally,other groups of rats were induced with facial nerve injury models using the facial nerve buccal branch pressing method.After successful modeling,intervention was given for two weeks.After intervention,electron microscopy was performed to observe the ultra microstructure of the facial nerve in rats;HE staining was employed to observe the morphological and histological changes of facial nerve tissues;ELISA was used to determine the expression level of serum KRas;Western blot was applied to examine the expression levels of MEK and ERK proteins in facial nerve tissues.Results After modeling,compared with the blank control group,the behavioral scores of the other three groups of rats significantly increased(P<0.01).After two weeks of acupuncture treatment,the scores of rats in the conventional acupuncture and the Chifeng Yingyuan acupuncture groups were significantly lower than those in the model group(P<0.01),and the scores in the Chifeng Yingyuan acupuncture group were lower than those in the conventional acupuncture group(P<0.01).After two weeks of acupuncture treatment,compared with the model group,the conventional acupuncture and the Chifeng Yingyuan acupuncture groups had a tighter arrangement of facial nerve axon fibers,more endoplasmic reticulum,and a significant increase in KRas protein expression(P<0.05).The expression of facial nerve MEK protein and ERK protein increased(P<0.05),and the expression levels of these three proteins(KRas,MEK,and ERK)in the Chifeng Yingyuan acupuncture group were higher than in the conventional acupuncture group(P<0.05).Conclusion The Chifeng Yingyuan acupuncture method can improve the behavioral outcomes of the rat model of facial nerve injury and upregulate the expression levels of KRas,MEK,and ERK,which may be related to the activation of the Ras/MEK/ERK signaling pathway,thereby repairing facial nerve injury.
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