Low-energy extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been used to treat various human diseases. Previous studies have shown that low-energy ESWT promotes the release of various cell growth factors and trophic factors from the cells surrounding the target lesion. The aim of the current study was to determine whether the application of low-energy ESWT upregulates the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and reduces neural tissue damage and functional impairment using a rat model of thoracic spinal cord contusion injury. We found that low-energy ESWT promoted BDNF expression in the damaged neural tissue. The expression of BDNF was increased in various neural cells at the lesion. Additionally, low-energy ESWT increased the area of spared white matter and the number of oligodendrocytes in the injured spinal cord compared with untreated control animals. There were more axonal fibers around the injured site after the application of low-energy ESWT than control. Importantly, low-energy ESWT improved the locomotor functions evaluated by both the BBB scale and ladder rung walking test in addition to the sensory function measured using a von Frey test. Moreover, the electrophysiological assessment confirmed that the conductivity of the central motor pathway in the injured spinal cord was restored by low-energy ESWT. These findings indicate that low-energy ESWT promotes BDNF expression at the lesion site and reduces the neural tissue damage and functional impairment following spinal cord injury. Our results support the potential application of low-energy ESWT as a novel therapeutic strategy for treating spinal cord injury.

中文翻译：

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低能量体外冲击波疗法可促进BDNF的表达并改善大鼠脊髓损伤后的功能恢复。

低能量体外冲击波疗法（ESWT）已用于治疗各种人类疾病。先前的研究表明，低能ESWT可以促进靶病变周围细胞释放各种细胞生长因子和营养因子。本研究的目的是确定低能量ESWT的应用是否使用大鼠胸脊髓挫伤性损伤的模型来上调脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）的表达并减少神经组织损伤和功能障碍。我们发现低能ESWT促进受损神经组织中的BDNF表达。在病变处各种神经细胞中BDNF的表达增加。另外，与未治疗的对照动物相比，低能ESWT增加了受损脊髓中残存白质的面积和少突胶质细胞的数量。应用低能ESWT后，受伤部位周围的轴突纤维比对照组多。重要的是，低能ESWT改善了通过BBB量表和梯级步走测试评估的运动功能，以及使用von Frey测试测得的感觉功能。此外，电生理评估证实，低能量ESWT恢复了受损脊髓中中央运动通路的电导率。这些发现表明，低能ESWT促进了病变部位的BDNF表达，并减少了脊髓损伤后神经组织的损伤和功能损害。