Objective:To investigate the progression of traumatic osteoarthritis after anterior cruciate ligament rupture(ACLT)and the effect of electroacupuncture on its early inflammatory response and cyclic GMP-AMP synthase(cGAS)/interferon gene stimulating factor(STING)signaling pathway.Methods:A total of 24 SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group,anterior cruciate ligament injury(ACLT)group and electroacupuncture group,with 8 rats in each group.Among them,ACLT group and electroacupuncture group were subjected to ACL amputation.In the electroacupuncture group,rats were given bilateral electroacupuncture stimulation of"Yanglingquan"(GB 34),"Xuehai"(SP 10),"Zusanli"(ST 36)and"Taixi"(KI 3)once a day,and the intervention was carried out for 5 days per week.After 2 weeks,the rats'serum interleukin-1β(IL-1β)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)levels were detected by ELISA;The cartilage tissue sections of the left knee joint were stained with sapphire red O-green and hematoxylin-eosin(HE),and the extent of the cartilage damage was observed and scored under the microscope(Mankin's score);RT-qPCR was performed to detect the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-13(MMP-13)mRNA,cGAS mRNA and STING mRNA in the cartilage of the right knee joint of rats.Western blotting was performed to detect the expression levels of MMP-13,cGAS and STING proteins in the cartilage of the right knee joint of rats.Results:The ACLT group showed higher serum IL-1β and TNF-α levels than sham operation group(P＜0.05).The electroacupuncture group showed lower serum IL-1β and TNF-α levels than ACLT group(P＜0.05).The surface of cartilage of rats in the sham operation group was smooth;The surface of cartilage of rats in the ACLT group showed slight defects and small cracks;The surface of cartilage of rats in the electro-acupuncture group was smooth without obvious cracks.HE staining showed that the surface of cartilage of rats in the sham operation group was smooth and even,and the chondrocytes were arranged in a regular way;The surface of cartilage of rats in the ACLT group was thinned;The surface of cartilage of rats in the electroacupuncture group was a little bit rough;The ACLT group showed higher Mankin's score than sham operation group(P＜0.05);The electroacupuncture group showed lower Mankin's score than ACLT group(P＜0.05).The ACLT group showed higher relative expression of MMP-13 mRNA,cGAS mRNA and STING mRNA than sham operation group(P＜0.05);The electroacupuncture group showed lower relative expression of MMP-13 mRNA,cGAS mRNA and STING mRNA than ACLT group(P＜0.05).The ACLT group showed higher relative expression of MMP-13,cGAS and STING proteins than sham-operated group(P＜0.01);The electroacupuncture group showed lower relative expression of MMP-13,cGAS and STING proteins than ACLT group(P＜0.01).Conclusion:Electroacupuncture may reduce inflammatory response and delay articular cartilage degeneration in ACLT rats by down-regulating cGAS/STING signaling pathway.
维普
万方数据