Electroacupuncture Promotes Soft Tissue Repair and Bone Regeneration via Recruitment of Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Abstract
This study addresses the Fiscal Year 2015 Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program Topic Area of acupuncture. Musculoskeletal injuries and fractures constitute the largest class of injuries sustained in adults and the majority of these are activity or trauma-related. Such injuries have been described as "the greatest threat to our military fighting strength" and account for over 1.6 million medical encounters per year. Early intervention with a therapy known to initiate effective reparative functions for both soft tissue repair and bone regeneration would serve to reduce recovery time and improve outcomes in military personnel. There is growing interest in the use of stem cells as a therapy to improve tissue recovery from injury. Within all tissues, bones and blood vessels are stem cells that can be released into the circulation during times of injury and stress. However, often times the body is unable to release these cells due to the stress of the actual injury. In this application, we are using acupuncture, a technique that is common in Eastern medicine, to improve on the body s natural ability to release reparative cells into the circulation where they then can go to areas of tendon, musculoskeletal, and bone injury. Acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points along the skin of the body involving penetration by thin needles. It is a form of complementary and alternative medicine and a key component of traditional Chinese medicine in which specific acupuncture points correct imbalances in the flow of qi through channels known as meridians. In clinical trials, acupuncture was shown to significantly aid in treatment of pain, migraines, and arthritis, among other conditions. Although there is considerable evidence of the efficacy of acupuncture, its acceptance by the Western medical community has been slow because the mechanism of its action remains largely unknown. The more recent use of electroacupuncture is quite similar to traditional acupuncture in that the same points are stimulated during treatment, but benefits are often greater. We have recently made the novel discovery that electroacupuncture at precise points that have previously been used to treat conditions associated with inflammation are able to stimulate the release of specific reparative cells that not only reduce inflammation but help heal tissue injury. This new approaches is safe, minimally invasive, and very economical. Our hypothesis predicts that "the stimulation of electroacupuncture at immune points activates the release of a specific type of reparative cell into the systemic circulation to promote tissue repair." In this application, we propose three aims. The first will determine the time course for release of reparative cells into the circulation following single or multiple electroacupuncture interventions at immune points in rats and characterize the subpopulations present. The second and third aims will confirm the reparative benefits and functional recovery in injury models receiving electroacupuncture. Aim 2 will determine whether electroacupuncture of immune points facilitates more rapid healing of ruptured tendons in rats. The Achilles and plantaris tendons will be ruptured in the mid part, and at 14 days the extent of tendon repair and behavioral pain measurement improvement in the rat will be assessed. Aim 3 will determine whether EA of immune points enhances open and closed fracture repair in rats. Femoral fractures will be performed and bone healing, together with adjacent soft-tissue repair, will be assessed by mechanical testing, imaging, immunohistochemistry, and histologic analysis. This study is highly original and introduces a safe way to improve repair of injured tissue and regenerate bone. This approach will offer a new way to help in the treatment of soft tissue and bone injury in humans. The outcome of this study will form the basis for electroacupuncture to improve musculoskeletal repair and
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 31, 2017
- Source ID
- W81XWH1610079
Entities
People
- Michael Boulton
Organizations
- Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis
- United States Army