application-of-acupotomy-in-a-knee-osteoarthritis-model-in-rabbit

Application of Acupotomy in a Knee Osteoarthritis Model in Rabbit

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is one of the most frequently encountered diseases in the orthopedic department, which seriously reduces the quality of life of ...

Beijing University of Chinese Medicine

Subchondral bone lesions, as the crucial inducement for accelerating cartilage degeneration, have been considered as the initiating factor and the potential therapeutic target of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Acupotomy, the biomechanical therapy guided by traditional Chinese meridians theory, alleviates cartilage deterioration by correcting abnormal mechanics. Whether this mechanical effect of acupotomy inhibits KOA subchondral bone lesions is indistinct. This study aimed to investigate the effects of acupotomy on inhibiting subchondral bone resorption and to define the possible mechanism in immobilization-induced KOA rabbits. After KOA modeling, 8 groups of rabbits (4w/6w acupotomy, 4w/6w electroacupuncture, 4w/6w model, and 4w/6w control groups) received the indicated intervention for 3 weeks. Histological and bone histomorphometry analyses revealed that acupotomy prevented both cartilage surface erosion and subchondral bone loss. Further, acupotomy suppressed osteoclast activity and enhanced osteoblast activity in KOA subchondral bone, showing a significantly decreased expression of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9), and cathepsin K (Ctsk) and a significantly increased expression of osteocalcin (OCN); this regulation may be mediated by blocking the decrease in osteoprotegerin (OPG) and the increase in NF- receptor activated protein ligand (RANKL). These findings indicated that acupotomy inhibited osteoclast activity and promoted osteoblast activity to ameliorate hyperactive subchondral bone resorption and cartilage degeneration in immobilization-induced KOA rabbits, which may be mediated by the OPG/RANKL signaling pathway. Taken together, our results indicate that acupotomy may have therapeutic potential in KOA by restoring the balance between bone formation and bone resorption to attenuate subchondral bone lesions.

Acupotomy Contributes to Suppressing Subchondral Bone Resorption in KOA Rabbits by Regulating the OPG/RANKL Signaling Pathway.

To investigate the effects of acupotomy on inhibiting abnormal formation of subchondral bone in rabbits with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

Acupotomy inhibits aberrant formation of subchondral bone through regulating osteoprotegerin/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand pathway in rabbits with knee osteoarthritis induced by modified Videman method.

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic inflammatory disease highly associated with intra-articular hypertension, hypoxia and angiogenesis of synovial tissue. Our previous studies showed that acupotomy could treat KOA in a variety of ways, including reducing cartilage deterioration and enhancing biomechanical qualities. However, the mechanism of hypoxia and angiogenesis induced by acupotomy in KOA synovium remains unclear. This study looked for the benign intervention of acupotomy in synovial pathology.

Acupotomy Improves Synovial Hypoxia, Synovitis and Angiogenesis in KOA Rabbits.

To investigate the effects of acupotomy on the subchondral bone absorption and mechanical properties in rabbits with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

Acupotomy ameliorates subchondral bone absorption and mechanical properties in rabbits with knee osteoarthritis by regulating bone morphogenetic protein 2-Smad1 pathway.

To observe the effect of acupotomy on the expressions of p16 and p21 in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) rabbits，so as to analyze whether acupotomy can treat KOA by inhibiting the cellular senescence of chondrocytes.

[Effect of acupotomy on expressions of cellular senescence markers p16Ink4a and p21Waf1/Cip1 in cartilage tissue of rabbits with knee osteoarthritis].

Mitochondrial dysfunction of chondrocytes has become an area of focus in Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA) in recent years. Activation of mitophagy could promote the survival of chondrocytes and alleviate cartilage degeneration. The aim of this study was to explore whether mitophagy was involved in the cartilage protection of KOA rabbits after electroacupuncture (EA) intervention.

Chen XiLin

School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina

Beijing University of Chinese Medicine

Application of Acupotomy in a Knee Osteoarthritis Model in Rabbit