Establishment of a rat model of cervical syndrome with qi deficiency, blood stasis and kidney deficiency

Objective: To establish a rat model of cervical syndrome with qi deficiency, blood stasis and kidney deficiency. Methods: A total of 30 three-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal group, cervical syndrome group and cervical syndrome with qj deficiency, blood stasis and kidney deficiency group (combined group), with 10 rats in each group. Rats in the normal group received no treatment, rats in cervical syndrome group underwent resection of cervical muscles and ligaments as unbalanced dynamic and static animal model, and rats in combined group underwent resection of both cervical muscles and ovaries, swimming and irregular diet, and injection of adrenal cortex hormone and adrenaline two and a half months after resection as combined model. The qi deficiency, blood stasis and kidney deficiency were determined by observing behaviors and physical signs of the rats, detecting the contents of plasma cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), the hemorrheology, the expression of alpha-granular membrane protein (CD62p) and the serum estradiol (E₂) content. The aggrecan-I, type II procollagen gene (Col2a1), matrix metal loproteinases-13 (MMP-13) and tissue inhibitor of metal loproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) mRNAs in cervical intervertebral discs were detected by histopathology, immunohistochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction. The cataplasia of the intervertebral discs was determined by detecting the histopathology, the expressions of type II collagen and type X collegen proteins, and the expressions of aggrecan-1 (Agc1), type II procollagen gene (Col2a1), matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) mRNAs. Results: Compared with those in the normal group and cervical syndrome group, the rats in the combined group were noted with obvious signs of deficiency of vital energy, such as depression, tiredness, ptosis, obvious weight loss and blue tail. And the ratio of cAMP/cGMP was decreased; the reducing viscosity was significantly up-regulated; the expression of CD62p was increased; the content of serum E₂ was decreased; the intervertebral disc structure was destructed; the cervical intervertebral disc was more seriously deteriorated. There exhibited a decrease in type II collagen protein expression, an increase in type X collagen protein expression, as well as decreases of Agc1, Col2a1 and TIMP-1 mRNA expressions in intervertebral disc, and the expression of MMP-13 mRNA was noted an increase. Conclusion: The rat model of cervical syndrome with qi-deficiency, blood stasis and kidney deficiency is established. Qi deficiency, blood stasis and kidney deficiency can aggravate cervical intervertebral disc degeneration.