To observe the effect of intraorbital electroacupuncture on nerve function in a rat model
of oculomotor nerve injury and explore its underlying mechanism in oculomotor nerve functional reconstruction
from the perspective of ferroptosis. Methods: A total of 108 7-week-old male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were
randomly divided into six groups: blank group, sham-operation group, model group, electroacupuncture group,
inducer group, and (electroacupuncture + inducer) group, with 18 rats in each group. Assessments were
conducted at postoperative days 1, 7, and 14, with 6 rats evaluated at each time point. An oculomotor nerve
injury model was established (the sham-operation group only involved exposure of the nerve). The
electroacupuncture group received daily electroacupuncture stimulation of the periorbital muscles for 20 minutes
for 14 consecutive days postoperatively. General condition, oculomotor nerve function, and mitochondrial
ultrastructure (examined via electron microscopy) were evaluated in each group at postoperative days 1, 7, and
14, along with the detection of ferroptosis-related indicators. At postoperative day 14, Western blot analysis was
performed to detect GPX4 and SLC7A11. Results: There were no significant differences in all indicators
between the blank group and the sham-operation group. On postoperative day 1, no significant differences were
observed between the electroacupuncture group and the model group. However, on postoperative days 7 and 14,
all indicators in the electroacupuncture group showed significant improvement compared to the model group.
The model group exhibited significant injury at all time points compared to the sham-operation group. The injury
in the model group was less severe than that in the inducer group. On postoperative day 1, there were no
differences between the (electroacupuncture + inducer) group and the inducer group. On postoperative days 7
and 14, the (electroacupuncture + inducer) group showed significant improvement compared to the inducer
group. On postoperative day 1, the model group exhibited mitochondrial atrophy and reduced cristae, while the
electroacupuncture group showed milder injury, the inducer group exhibited severe injury, and the
(electroacupuncture + inducer) group showed morphological abnormalities. On postoperative day 7, the model
group demonstrated significant mitochondrial atrophy and cristae loss, the electroacupuncture group showed
injury, the inducer group exhibited persistent swelling and rupture, and the (electroacupuncture + inducer) group
showed partial recovery compared to the inducer group but still exhibited abnormalities. On postoperative day
14, the model group still showed mitochondrial atrophy and cristae loss, the electroacupuncture group had mitochondria close to normal,
the inducer group exhibited progressive swelling and rupture, and the (electroacupuncture + inducer) group showed significant
improvement compared to the inducer group but still had defects (incomplete membrane repair and disordered cristae). Conclusion:
Intraorbital electroacupuncture may promote the recovery of oculomotor nerve function in rats by regulating the expression of Fe2+
, MDA,
GSH, GPX4, and SLC7A11, improving mitochondrial structure, and reducing ferroptosis.
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