Acupuncture in Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries: Mobilization of Potential Neuroprogenitors and Clinical Outcome in a Case Series

Mingyuan Wu; Sonja Moldenhauer; Matthias Duetsch; Thomas Scheffel; Rainer Hellweg; Andreas Holloschi; Frank Rainer Abel; Wei Han; Anja Moldenhauer

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12

Acupuncture in Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries: Mobilization of Potential Neuroprogenitors and Clinical Outcome in a Case Series

Mingyuan Wu, Sonja Moldenhauer, Matthias Duetsch, Thomas Scheffel, Rainer Hellweg, Andreas Holloschi, Frank Rainer Abel, Wei Han, Anja Moldenhauer

Published in International Journal of Chinese Medicine (Volume 5, Issue 2)

Received: 11 May 2021 Accepted: 26 May 2021 Published: 4 June 2021

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

Background: Spinal cord injuries (SCI) often lead to devastating loss of neurological functions. Among other therapeutic methods, acupuncture is applied to support recovery. In former studies with healthy volunteers, we demonstrated an acupuncture-induced mobilization of potential neuroprogenitors. We hypothesized that this might also occur in patients with SCI and thereby improve regeneration. Methods: Four patients with SCI were acupunctured 15 times over a period of eight weeks. Before and after each acupuncture, CD133⁺34^– cells were determined as potential neuroprogenitors by flow cytometry. By means of Elisa, we measured matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), which is suggested to be involved in the mobilization of progenitor cells, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin regulating neurogenesis. Patients’ motor and sensory functions were determined by American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS), and the quality of life was assessed using short form (SF)-36. Results: We observed that the number of potential neuroprogenitors increased gradually in peripheral blood over the eight weeks’ course of acupuncture treatment with a concomitant increase of MMP-9 and decrease in BDNF (p<0.05). Patients felt an improved sensory function and showed a positive perception of acupuncture treatment, while no clear changes in motor function were documented. Conclusion: Our results suggest that acupuncture induces the mobilization of potential neuroprogenitors in SCI patients, improvement of subjective sensory function and a better quality of life. Whether and to what extent acupuncture supports regeneration needs to be verified in future studies. Study registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN71857369, retrospectively registered 18 February 2019, http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN71857369).

Published in	International Journal of Chinese Medicine (Volume 5, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12
Page(s)	29-37
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Mobilization, Stem Cell, Spinal Cord Injury, Peripheral Blood, Matrix Metalloproteinase, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Acupuncture, Regeneration

References

[1]	Yezierski RP (2009) Spinal cord injury pain: spinal and supraspinal mechanisms. J Rehabil Res Dev, 46 (1): p. 95-107.
[2]	Wessels M, C Lucas, I Eriks & S de Groot (2010) Body weight-supported gait training for restoration of walking in people with an incomplete spinal cord injury: a systematic review. J Rehabil Med, 42 (6): p. 513-9.
[3]	Serra-Ano P, M Pellicer-Chenoll, X Garcia-Masso, J Morales, M Giner-Pascual & LM Gonzalez (2012) Effects of resistance training on strength, pain and shoulder functionality in paraplegics. Spinal Cord, 50 (11): p. 827-31.
[4]	Tabakow P, G Raisman, W Fortuna, M Czyz, J Huber, D Li &W Jarmundowicz (2014) Functional regeneration of supraspinal connections in a patient with transected spinal cord following transplantation of bulbar olfactory ensheathing cells with peripheral nerve bridging. Cell Transplant, 23 (12): p. 1631-55.
[5]	Sykova E, A Homola, R Mazanec, H Lachmann, SL Konradova, P Kobylka &M Bojar (2006) Autologous bone marrow transplantation in patients with subacute and chronic spinal cord injury. Cell Transplant, 15 (8-9): p. 675-87.
[6]	Ding Y, Q Yan, JW Ruan, YQ Zhang, WJ Li, X Zeng &YS Zeng (2013) Electroacupuncture promotes the differentiation of transplanted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells overexpressing TrkC into neuron-like cells in transected spinal cord of rats. Cell Transplant, 22 (1): p. 65-86.
[7]	Jin H, YT Zhang, Y Yang, LY Wen, JH Wang, HY Xu &YS Zeng (2019) Electroacupuncture Facilitates the Integration of Neural Stem Cell-Derived Neural Network with Transected Rat Spinal Cord. Stem Cell Reports, 12 (2): p. 274-289.
[8]	Cai W & WD Shen (2018) Anti-Apoptotic Mechanisms of Acupuncture in Neurological Diseases: A Review. Am J Chin Med, 46 (3): p. 515-535.
[9]	Moldenhauer S, M Burgauner, R Hellweg, A Lun, M Hohenböken, E Dietz &A Moldenhauer (2010) Mobilization of CD133(+)CD34(-) cells in healthy individuals following whole-body acupuncture for spinal cord injuries. J Neurosci Res, 88 (8): p. 1645-50.
[10]	Vincent PH, E Benedikz, P Uhlen, O Hovatta & E Sundstrom (2017) Expression of Pluripotency Markers in Nonpluripotent Human Neural Stem and Progenitor Cells. Stem Cells Dev, 26 (12): p. 876-887.
[11]	Moghaddam SA, B Yousefi, D Sanooghi, F Faghihi, N Hayati Roodbari, N Bana &B Arjmand (2017) Differentiation potential of human CD133 positive hematopoietic stem cells into motor neuron- like cells, in vitro. J Chem Neuroanat, 86: p. 35-40.
[12]	Wu M, S Moldenhauer, M Dutsch, T Scheffel, R Hellweg, A Holloschi &A Moldenhauer (2019) Acupuncture-induced differentiation of stem cells into neuron-like cells in patients with spinal cord injuries. Acupunct Med: p. 964528419832616.
[13]	Zhang H, A Trivedi, JU Lee, M Lohela, SM Lee, TM Fandel &LJ Noble-Haeusslein (2011) Matrix metalloproteinase-9 and stromal cell-derived factor-1 act synergistically to support migration of blood-borne monocytes into the injured spinal cord. J Neurosci, 31 (44): p. 15894-903.
[14]	Noble LJ, F Donovan, T Igarashi, S Goussev & Z Werb (2002) Matrix metalloproteinases limit functional recovery after spinal cord injury by modulation of early vascular events. J Neurosci, 22 (17): p. 7526-35.
[15]	Zhang H, M Chang, CN Hansen, DM Basso & LJ Noble-Haeusslein (2011) Role of matrix metalloproteinases and therapeutic benefits of their inhibition in spinal cord injury. Neurotherapeutics, 8 (2): p. 206-20.
[16]	He BL, YC Ba, XY Wang, SJ Liu, GD Liu, S Ou &TH Wang (2013) BDNF expression with functional improvement in transected spinal cord treated with neural stem cells in adult rats. Neuropeptides, 47 (1): p. 1-7.
[17]	Guo Y, S Liu, X Zhang, L Wang, X Zhang, A Hao &J Yang (2014) Sox11 promotes endogenous neurogenesis and locomotor recovery in mice spinal cord injury. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 446 (4): p. 830-5.
[18]	Landay AL MK (1989) Procedural guidelines for performing immunophenotyping by flow cytometry. Clin Immunol Immunopathol., 52 (1): p. 48-60.
[19]	Ziegenhorn AA, O Schulte-Herbruggen, H Danker-Hopfe, M Malbranc, HD Hartung, D Anders &R Hellweg (2007) Serum neurotrophins--a study on the time course and influencing factors in a large old age sample. Neurobiol Aging, 28 (9): p. 1436-45.
[20]	Buchmann AF, R Hellweg, M Rietschel, J Treutlein, SH Witt, US Zimmermann &M Deuschle (2013) BDNF Val 66 Met and 5-HTTLPR genotype moderate the impact of early psychosocial adversity on plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor and depressive symptoms: a prospective study. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol, 23 (8): p. 902-9.
[21]	Savic G, EM Bergstrom, HL Frankel, MA Jamous & PW Jones (2007) Inter-rater reliability of motor and sensory examinations performed according to American Spinal Injury Association standards. Spinal Cord, 45 (6): p. 444-51.
[22]	Aquarone RL & AC Faro (2014) Scales on Quality of Life in patients with spinal cord injury: integrative review. Einstein (Sao Paulo), 12 (2): p. 245-50.
[23]	Fawcett JW, A Curt, JD Steeves, WP Coleman, MH Tuszynski, D Lammertse &D Short (2007) Guidelines for the conduct of clinical trials for spinal cord injury as developed by the ICCP panel: spontaneous recovery after spinal cord injury and statistical power needed for therapeutic clinical trials. Spinal Cord, 45 (3): p. 190-205.
[24]	Nichols JE, JA Niles, D Dewitt, D Prough, M Parsley, S Vega &J Cortiella (2013) Neurogenic and neuro-protective potential of a novel subpopulation of peripheral blood-derived CD133+ ABCG2+CXCR4+ mesenchymal stem cells: development of autologous cell-based therapeutics for traumatic brain injury. Stem Cell Res Ther, 4 (1): p. 3.
[25]	Zhang M & B Huang (2012) The multi-differentiation potential of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Stem Cell Res Ther, 3 (6): p. 48.
[26]	Goussev S, JY Hsu, Y Lin, T Tjoa, N Maida, Z Werb &LJ Noble-Haeusslein (2003) Differential temporal expression of matrix metalloproteinases after spinal cord injury: relationship to revascularization and wound healing. J Neurosurg, 99 (2 Suppl): p. 188-97.
[27]	Morris DC ZZ, Zhang R, LeTourrneau Y, Gregg SR, Chopp M (2006) Stroke Increases Expression of Matrix Metalloproteinases and p21-activated Protein Kinase in Neural Progenitor Cells. Academic Emergency Medicine, 13 (5S): p. S194-S195.
[28]	Sanna MD, C Ghelardini & N Galeotti (2016) Blockade of the spinal BDNF-activated JNK pathway prevents the development of antiretroviral-induced neuropathic pain. Neuropharmacology, 105: p. 543-552.
[29]	Sasaki M, C Radtke, AM Tan, P Zhao, H Hamada, K Houkin &JD Kocsis (2009) BDNF-hypersecreting human mesenchymal stem cells promote functional recovery, axonal sprouting, and protection of corticospinal neurons after spinal cord injury. J Neurosci, 29 (47): p. 14932-41.
[30]	Heo I, BC Shin, YD Kim, EH Hwang, CW Han & KH Heo (2013) Acupuncture for spinal cord injury and its complications: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2013: p. 364216.
[31]	Yang JH, JG Lv, H Wang & HY Nie (2015) Electroacupuncture promotes the recovery of motor neuron function in the anterior horn of the injured spinal cord. Neural Regen Res, 10 (12): p. 2033-9.
[32]	Jiang S, W Chen, Y Zhang, Y Zhang, A Chen, Q Dai &H Lin (2016) Acupuncture Induces the Proliferation and Differentiation of Endogenous Neural Stem Cells in Rats with Traumatic Brain Injury. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2016: p. 2047412.
[33]	Yang Y, HY Xu, QW Deng, GH Wu, X Zeng, H Jin &YS Zeng (2021) Electroacupuncture facilitates the integration of a grafted TrkC-modified mesenchymal stem cell-derived neural network into transected spinal cord in rats via increasing neurotrophin-3. CNS Neurosci Ther.
[34]	Liu J & Y Wu (2017) Electro-acupuncture-modulated miR-214 prevents neuronal apoptosis by targeting Bax and inhibits sodium channel Nav1.3 expression in rats after spinal cord injury. Biomed Pharmacother, 89: p. 1125-1135.
[35]	Choi DC, JY Lee, YJ Moon, SW Kim, TH Oh & TY Yune (2010) Acupuncture-mediated inhibition of inflammation facilitates significant functional recovery after spinal cord injury. Neurobiol Dis, 39 (3): p. 272-82.
[36]	Mo YP, HJ Yao, W Lv, LY Song, HT Song, XC Yuan &ZG Li (2016) Effects of Electroacupuncture at Governor Vessel Acupoints on Neurotrophin-3 in Rats with Experimental Spinal Cord Injury. Neural Plast, 2016: p. 2371875.
[37]	Li WJ, SQ Pan, YS Zeng, BG Su, SM Li, Y Ding &JW Ruan (2010) Identification of acupuncture-specific proteins in the process of electro-acupuncture after spinal cord injury. Neurosci Res, 67 (4): p. 307-16.
[38]	Vickland V, C Rogers, A Craig & Y Tran (2009) Anxiety as a factor influencing physiological effects of acupuncture. Complement Ther Clin Pract, 15 (3): p. 124-8.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Mingyuan Wu, Sonja Moldenhauer, Matthias Duetsch, Thomas Scheffel, Rainer Hellweg, et al. (2021). Acupuncture in Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries: Mobilization of Potential Neuroprogenitors and Clinical Outcome in a Case Series. International Journal of Chinese Medicine, 5(2), 29-37. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Mingyuan Wu; Sonja Moldenhauer; Matthias Duetsch; Thomas Scheffel; Rainer Hellweg, et al. Acupuncture in Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries: Mobilization of Potential Neuroprogenitors and Clinical Outcome in a Case Series. Int. J. Chin. Med. 2021, 5(2), 29-37. doi: 10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Mingyuan Wu, Sonja Moldenhauer, Matthias Duetsch, Thomas Scheffel, Rainer Hellweg, et al. Acupuncture in Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries: Mobilization of Potential Neuroprogenitors and Clinical Outcome in a Case Series. Int J Chin Med. 2021;5(2):29-37. doi: 10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12,
  author = {Mingyuan Wu and Sonja Moldenhauer and Matthias Duetsch and Thomas Scheffel and Rainer Hellweg and Andreas Holloschi and Frank Rainer Abel and Wei Han and Anja Moldenhauer},
  title = {Acupuncture in Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries: Mobilization of Potential Neuroprogenitors and Clinical Outcome in a Case Series},
  journal = {International Journal of Chinese Medicine},
  volume = {5},
  number = {2},
  pages = {29-37},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijcm.20210502.12},
  abstract = {Background: Spinal cord injuries (SCI) often lead to devastating loss of neurological functions. Among other therapeutic methods, acupuncture is applied to support recovery. In former studies with healthy volunteers, we demonstrated an acupuncture-induced mobilization of potential neuroprogenitors. We hypothesized that this might also occur in patients with SCI and thereby improve regeneration. Methods: Four patients with SCI were acupunctured 15 times over a period of eight weeks. Before and after each acupuncture, CD133+34– cells were determined as potential neuroprogenitors by flow cytometry. By means of Elisa, we measured matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), which is suggested to be involved in the mobilization of progenitor cells, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin regulating neurogenesis. Patients’ motor and sensory functions were determined by American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS), and the quality of life was assessed using short form (SF)-36. Results: We observed that the number of potential neuroprogenitors increased gradually in peripheral blood over the eight weeks’ course of acupuncture treatment with a concomitant increase of MMP-9 and decrease in BDNF (p<0.05). Patients felt an improved sensory function and showed a positive perception of acupuncture treatment, while no clear changes in motor function were documented. Conclusion: Our results suggest that acupuncture induces the mobilization of potential neuroprogenitors in SCI patients, improvement of subjective sensory function and a better quality of life. Whether and to what extent acupuncture supports regeneration needs to be verified in future studies. Study registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN71857369, retrospectively registered 18 February 2019, http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN71857369).},
 year = {2021}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Acupuncture in Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries: Mobilization of Potential Neuroprogenitors and Clinical Outcome in a Case Series
AU  - Mingyuan Wu
AU  - Sonja Moldenhauer
AU  - Matthias Duetsch
AU  - Thomas Scheffel
AU  - Rainer Hellweg
AU  - Andreas Holloschi
AU  - Frank Rainer Abel
AU  - Wei Han
AU  - Anja Moldenhauer
Y1  - 2021/06/04
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12
T2  - International Journal of Chinese Medicine
JF  - International Journal of Chinese Medicine
JO  - International Journal of Chinese Medicine
SP  - 29
EP  - 37
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2578-9473
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12
AB  - Background: Spinal cord injuries (SCI) often lead to devastating loss of neurological functions. Among other therapeutic methods, acupuncture is applied to support recovery. In former studies with healthy volunteers, we demonstrated an acupuncture-induced mobilization of potential neuroprogenitors. We hypothesized that this might also occur in patients with SCI and thereby improve regeneration. Methods: Four patients with SCI were acupunctured 15 times over a period of eight weeks. Before and after each acupuncture, CD133+34– cells were determined as potential neuroprogenitors by flow cytometry. By means of Elisa, we measured matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), which is suggested to be involved in the mobilization of progenitor cells, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin regulating neurogenesis. Patients’ motor and sensory functions were determined by American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS), and the quality of life was assessed using short form (SF)-36. Results: We observed that the number of potential neuroprogenitors increased gradually in peripheral blood over the eight weeks’ course of acupuncture treatment with a concomitant increase of MMP-9 and decrease in BDNF (p<0.05). Patients felt an improved sensory function and showed a positive perception of acupuncture treatment, while no clear changes in motor function were documented. Conclusion: Our results suggest that acupuncture induces the mobilization of potential neuroprogenitors in SCI patients, improvement of subjective sensory function and a better quality of life. Whether and to what extent acupuncture supports regeneration needs to be verified in future studies. Study registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN71857369, retrospectively registered 18 February 2019, http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN71857369).
VL  - 5
IS  - 2
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Mingyuan Wu

Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
Sonja Moldenhauer

Clinic for Acupuncture, Erlangen, Germany
Matthias Duetsch

Clinic for Neurology, Erlangen, Germany
Thomas Scheffel

Laboratory for Neurotrophins and Clinical Neurobiology, Charite– Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Rainer Hellweg

Laboratory for Neurotrophins and Clinical Neurobiology, Charite– Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Andreas Holloschi

Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Applied Sciences Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
Frank Rainer Abel

Krankenhaus Hohe Warte, Bayreuth, Germany
Wei Han

Laboratory of Regeneromics, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
Anja Moldenhauer

Institute for Clinical Hemostaseology and Transfusion Medicine, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Mingyuan Wu, Sonja Moldenhauer, Matthias Duetsch, Thomas Scheffel, Rainer Hellweg, et al. (2021). Acupuncture in Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries: Mobilization of Potential Neuroprogenitors and Clinical Outcome in a Case Series. International Journal of Chinese Medicine, 5(2), 29-37. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Mingyuan Wu; Sonja Moldenhauer; Matthias Duetsch; Thomas Scheffel; Rainer Hellweg, et al. Acupuncture in Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries: Mobilization of Potential Neuroprogenitors and Clinical Outcome in a Case Series. Int. J. Chin. Med. 2021, 5(2), 29-37. doi: 10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Mingyuan Wu, Sonja Moldenhauer, Matthias Duetsch, Thomas Scheffel, Rainer Hellweg, et al. Acupuncture in Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries: Mobilization of Potential Neuroprogenitors and Clinical Outcome in a Case Series. Int J Chin Med. 2021;5(2):29-37. doi: 10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12,
  author = {Mingyuan Wu and Sonja Moldenhauer and Matthias Duetsch and Thomas Scheffel and Rainer Hellweg and Andreas Holloschi and Frank Rainer Abel and Wei Han and Anja Moldenhauer},
  title = {Acupuncture in Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries: Mobilization of Potential Neuroprogenitors and Clinical Outcome in a Case Series},
  journal = {International Journal of Chinese Medicine},
  volume = {5},
  number = {2},
  pages = {29-37},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijcm.20210502.12},
  abstract = {Background: Spinal cord injuries (SCI) often lead to devastating loss of neurological functions. Among other therapeutic methods, acupuncture is applied to support recovery. In former studies with healthy volunteers, we demonstrated an acupuncture-induced mobilization of potential neuroprogenitors. We hypothesized that this might also occur in patients with SCI and thereby improve regeneration. Methods: Four patients with SCI were acupunctured 15 times over a period of eight weeks. Before and after each acupuncture, CD133+34– cells were determined as potential neuroprogenitors by flow cytometry. By means of Elisa, we measured matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), which is suggested to be involved in the mobilization of progenitor cells, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin regulating neurogenesis. Patients’ motor and sensory functions were determined by American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS), and the quality of life was assessed using short form (SF)-36. Results: We observed that the number of potential neuroprogenitors increased gradually in peripheral blood over the eight weeks’ course of acupuncture treatment with a concomitant increase of MMP-9 and decrease in BDNF (p<0.05). Patients felt an improved sensory function and showed a positive perception of acupuncture treatment, while no clear changes in motor function were documented. Conclusion: Our results suggest that acupuncture induces the mobilization of potential neuroprogenitors in SCI patients, improvement of subjective sensory function and a better quality of life. Whether and to what extent acupuncture supports regeneration needs to be verified in future studies. Study registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN71857369, retrospectively registered 18 February 2019, http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN71857369).},
 year = {2021}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Acupuncture in Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries: Mobilization of Potential Neuroprogenitors and Clinical Outcome in a Case Series
AU  - Mingyuan Wu
AU  - Sonja Moldenhauer
AU  - Matthias Duetsch
AU  - Thomas Scheffel
AU  - Rainer Hellweg
AU  - Andreas Holloschi
AU  - Frank Rainer Abel
AU  - Wei Han
AU  - Anja Moldenhauer
Y1  - 2021/06/04
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12
T2  - International Journal of Chinese Medicine
JF  - International Journal of Chinese Medicine
JO  - International Journal of Chinese Medicine
SP  - 29
EP  - 37
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2578-9473
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijcm.20210502.12
AB  - Background: Spinal cord injuries (SCI) often lead to devastating loss of neurological functions. Among other therapeutic methods, acupuncture is applied to support recovery. In former studies with healthy volunteers, we demonstrated an acupuncture-induced mobilization of potential neuroprogenitors. We hypothesized that this might also occur in patients with SCI and thereby improve regeneration. Methods: Four patients with SCI were acupunctured 15 times over a period of eight weeks. Before and after each acupuncture, CD133+34– cells were determined as potential neuroprogenitors by flow cytometry. By means of Elisa, we measured matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), which is suggested to be involved in the mobilization of progenitor cells, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin regulating neurogenesis. Patients’ motor and sensory functions were determined by American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS), and the quality of life was assessed using short form (SF)-36. Results: We observed that the number of potential neuroprogenitors increased gradually in peripheral blood over the eight weeks’ course of acupuncture treatment with a concomitant increase of MMP-9 and decrease in BDNF (p<0.05). Patients felt an improved sensory function and showed a positive perception of acupuncture treatment, while no clear changes in motor function were documented. Conclusion: Our results suggest that acupuncture induces the mobilization of potential neuroprogenitors in SCI patients, improvement of subjective sensory function and a better quality of life. Whether and to what extent acupuncture supports regeneration needs to be verified in future studies. Study registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN71857369, retrospectively registered 18 February 2019, http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN71857369).
VL  - 5
IS  - 2
ER  -

Copy | Download