Effects of different frequency electroacupuncture on mitochondrial function and oxidative stress injury in quadriceps femoris muscle of rabbits with anterior cruciate ligament injury

doi:10.12307/2026.877

Abstract

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress is one of the potential factors contributing to muscle atrophy following anterior cruciate ligament injury. Alleviating skeletal muscle fatigue facilitates proprioceptive recovery, thereby accelerating rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament injury. Improving mitochondrial function helps mitigate skeletal muscle fatigue-related damage.
OBJECTIVE: To verify that electroacupuncture at different frequencies alleviates skeletal muscle oxidative stress damage and improves mitochondrial function in rabbits, thereby reducing skeletal muscle fatigue, restoring proprioceptive function, and accelerating rehabilitation following anterior cruciate ligament injury.
METHODS: Twenty-four healthy New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into blank group, model group, low-frequency electroacupuncture group and high-frequency electroacupuncture group, with six rabbits in each group. The model group, low-frequency electroacupuncture group and high-frequency electroacupuncture group were used to establish the anterior cruciate ligament injury model of the knee joint. The low-frequency electroacupuncture group and high-frequency electroacupuncture group were treated with electroacupuncture at the Xuehai and Liangqiu acupoints on the injured side of the knee joint 7 days after modeling, while the blank and model groups were only grasped and fixed without electroacupuncture intervention. The treatment was continued for 21 days. After the intervention, the contents of superoxide dismutase, succinate dehydrogenase, malondialdehyde in the quadriceps femoris were detected by ELISA; the expression levels of silent information regulator 2-related enzyme 1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α, and mitochondrial transcription factor A proteins in the skeletal muscle tissue of rabbits and the mRNA expression levels of silent information regulator 2-related enzyme 1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α, nuclear respiratory factor 1, and mitochondrial transcription factor A were detected by western blot assay.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: After anterior cruciate ligament injury, the expression level of superoxide dismutase in the quadriceps femoris of rabbits increased, the expression level of succinate dehydrogenase decreased, and the expression level of malondialdehyde increased; the expression levels of silent information regulator 2-related enzyme 1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α, and mitochondrial transcription factor A proteins decreased; the mRNA expression levels of silent information regulator 2-related enzyme 1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α, nuclear respiratory factor 1, and mitochondrial transcription factor A were significantly down-regulated. After electroacupuncture intervention, the expression of malondialdehyde in the quadriceps femoris on the injured side decreased, the activities of superoxide dismutase and succinate dehydrogenase increased, the expression levels of silent information regulator 2-related enzyme 1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α, and mitochondrial transcription factor A proteins increased; the mRNA expression levels of silent information regulator 2-related enzyme 1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α, nuclear respiratory factor 1, and mitochondrial transcription factor A, which are related to mitochondrial biogenesis, increased, and the low-frequency electroacupuncture group was superior to the high-frequency electroacupuncture group. To conclude, electroacupuncture can reduce oxidative stress damage in skeletal muscle after anterior cruciate ligament injury by increasing the levels of superoxide dismutase and succinate dehydrogenase and reducing the content of malondialdehyde; and improve mitochondrial function by regulating the expression of silent information regulator 2-related enzyme 1/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α signaling pathway-related proteins and regulating the mRNA expression levels of genes related to mitochondrial biogenesis, thereby accelerating the recovery after anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Key words: anterior cruciate ligament, electroacupuncture, high-frequency, low-frequency, silent information regulator 2-related enzyme 1

CLC Number:

Zhang Pengyi, Huang Yongyuan, Su Hong, Xu Zhaolin, Wang Chenxi, Li Jiaying, Yang Xuejie. Effects of different frequency electroacupuncture on mitochondrial function and oxidative stress injury in quadriceps femoris muscle of rabbits with anterior cruciate ligament injury[J]. Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research, 2026, 30(34): 8914-8920.

Figures/Tables 4

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