Objective: To investigate the effect of catgut implantation at acupoints on the expressions of γ-amino butyric acid B receptor (GABA(B)) and metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1) in the brain stem of rats with spasticity after stroke.
Methods: In total, 60 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: a sham group (n = 10), a model group (n = 25) and a treatment group (n = 25). The rats in both the model group and the treatment group were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion to establish a model of focal cerebral ischemia. Rats with limb-spasm met the inclusion criteria. Only the left carotid artery was isolated in sham group rats. Three days after modeling, the treatment group was subjected to catgut implantation at Dazhui (GV 14), Guanyuan (CV 4), and Zhongwan (CV 12). Neurological deficit symptoms were assessed with the Zea-Longa neurological deficit score. The Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), and isolated muscle tone were used to evaluate spasticity before and after treatment. Immunohistochemistry was applied to determine the expression of GABA(B) and mGluR1 in the rat brain stem after treatment.
Results: After treatment, neural impairment symptoms had significantly improved in the treatment group when compared to the model group (P < 0.05). Both MAS and isolated muscle tone in the treatment group were significantly decreased when compared with the model group (P < 0.05), and were also lower than before treatment. GABA(B) expression was significantly higher and mGluR1 was lower in the treatment group when compared with the model group (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively).
Conclusion: Catgut implantation at Dazhui (GV14), Guanyuan (CV 4), and Zhongwan (CV 12), can relieve limb spasticity by increasing the expression of GABA(B) and reducing the expression of mGluR1 in the brain stem of rats after stroke.