ArticleJournal of orthopaedic surgery and research2025
Electroacupuncture attenuates intervertebral disc degeneration by upregulating aquaporins via the cAMP/PKA pathway.
Article in Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Smart biophysical cue-based strategies and materials for intervertebral disc degeneration therapy.Bioactive materials · 2026Review
- Mechanism of Netrin-1 in electroacupuncture-mediated inhibition of nerve fiber ingrowth in degenerative intervertebral discs.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Research progress of diffusion tensor imaging in lumbar degenerative diseases: a narrative review.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Review
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIntervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is characterized by a decrease in extracellular matrix (ECM) and water loss, which is a major cause of low back pain (LBP). Electroacupuncture (EA) has long been used to relieve LBP in IVDD. To investigate whether EA can upregulate aquaporins (AQPs) in IVDD via the cAMP/PKA pathway in a rabbit model of disc degeneration.
methodsA homemade loading device was adapted to trigger a disc degeneration model. After 28 days, EA treatment was performed. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were performed to evaluate AQP content and water diffusion. AQP protein expression in the slices was observed by Western blot and immunofluorescence (IF) staining. The pathology of the intervertebral discs was determined by staining. cAMP and PKA levels were examined using ELISA, and the expression of AQP genes as well as the cAMP/PKA pathway and its related molecules were examined using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot analysis.
resultsThe EA intervention reduced MRI Pfirrmann scores, fractional anisotropy (FA), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. EA can upregulate the expression of AQP1 and AQP3, thereby improving the pathological morphology of the nucleus pulposus (NP) and the cartilage endplate of the intervertebral disc. cAMP and PKA levels were significantly increased after EA intervention in rabbits with IVDD. EA intervention can partially improve the expression of related molecules in the cAMP/PKA pathway, but H-89 reverses the effect of EA.
conclusionEA can attenuate intervertebral disc degeneration by regulating AQP expression, a process that may be mediated by the cAMP/PKA pathway.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.