Objective To study the effects of electroacupuncture on gene and protein expression of Wnt3a and β-catenin in ovariectomized rats. Methods Sixty female SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, blank group, model group, electroacupuncture group, and medicine group, with 12 rats in each group. The rats in blank group received no treatment. The bilateral ovaries of rats in the sham operation group were only exposed but not removed, while bilateral ovarian resection was performed in the other groups to establish the osteoporosis model. After 13 weeks of modeling, rats in the electroacupuncture group were stimulated at Shenshu(BL23),Pishu(BL20),Sanyinjiao(SP6),and Zusanli(ST36)points for 15 min(intermittent
wave, 2 Hz, 1.0 mA) and were fed with the same volume of distilled water to the other groups. The treatment was once a day and two days off after lasting 5 days. Rats in the medicine group received estradiol 0.02 mg/mL, 1 mL/100 g weight by gavage, and electroacupuncture. Rats in the rest groups were fed with an equal volume of distilled water, and the electroacupuncture was the
same. The rats in each group were weighed once a week and then the dosage of medicine was adjusted. The rats were killed under anesthesia after the experiment. The femurs and the tibia were isolated. The gene and protein expression of wnt3a and β-catenin of the femurs and the tibia was detected using RT-PCR analysis and immunohistochemistry. Results The expression of Wnt3a and β-catenin protein in model group was significantly lower than that in the blank group and Sham operation group(P<0.05).The expression of Wnt3a and β-catenin protein increased significantly after acupuncture or medicine intervention compared with the model group, with statistical significance(P< 0.05).The mRNA expression of Wnt3a and β-catenin was the lowest in the model group,and it significantly decreased(P<0.05)compared with that in the blank group and Sham operation group. After acupuncture or medicine intervention, the mRNA expression of Wnt3a and β-catenin significantly elevated, which was statistically significant compared with the model group(P<0.05).Conclusion The mechanism of electroacupuncture in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis may be through regulating the gene and protein expression of wnt3a and β-catenin, and activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, then regulating the balance of bone remodeling. |