To investigate the effect of medicated thread
moxibustion onapoptosis in hippocampal neuronsin a rat model of chronic cerebral ischemic
vascular dementia. A total of 40 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal group and
sham-operated group (7 rats each), and rat model of chronic cerebral ischemic
vascular dementia (14 rats). The model group rats were treated with medicated thread
moxibustion two weeks after surgery, once a day, with one day break every six days, (24 times in all)and an observation period of 4 weeks. At the end of
therapy, H&
amp;E staining was used to monitor changes in the neurons in CA1 area of the rat hippocampus. Changes in related indexes such as Bax, Bc1-2 and C-fos of neuron apoptosis in hippocampus CA1 area were determined by immunohistochemistry, while
protein expression was semi-quantitatively assayed using imaging analysis technique. There was significant hippocampal neuronal
necrosis six weeks after model establishment, but the
necrosis was milder in rats in the medicated thread
moxibustion group. Bax and C-fos were positively expressed and significantly higher in the hippocampus of chronic cerebral ischemic
vascular dementia rats (model group) than in the medicated thread
moxibustion group
after treatment (p <0.01). The expression of Bcl-2 was increased in the medicated thread group
after treatment, and was higher in the model group, but comparable to that in the
sham-operated group (p=0.975>0.05). Medicated thread
moxibustion alleviates hippocampal neuronal
necrosis, inhibits neuron apoptosis in hippocampus CA1 area, protects nerves, and maintains relative equilibrium inBax/Bcl-2 through down-regulation of C-fos and Bax and up-regulation of Bcl-2. Thus, cell apoptosis-related pathway may be one of its mechanisms of action.