Effect of Laser versus Needle Acupunctures on Bone Regeneration in Rats with Ovariectomy-induced Osteoporosis

Abstract

Background and Aim: Acupuncture promoting bone mass has long been applied to the treatment of osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effects of low-level laser therapy on bone loss to provide new insight into its therapeutic utility for postmenopausal osteoporosis. Experimental procedure: 24 female rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: sham operation (sham), ovariectomy (OVX), ovariectomy with needle acupuncture (O-N), and ovariectomy with laser acupuncture (O-L). O-N received needle acupuncture on the acupoints of Shenshu (BL23), Housanli (ST36) and Xuanzhong (GB39), whereas O-L received laser acupuncture on the same points. After the treatment period ended, the rats were euthanized to evaluate bone mass, microstructure, by micro-CT and histological staining. The transcription of bone formation-related genes by RT-PCR. Markers of bone metabolism was determined in serum were quantified by ELISA. Results and conclusion: O-L induced significant improvements in bone density and trabecular microarchitecture, showing significant increase in BMD, Tb.Th, Tb.N, BV/TV and Conn.D, as well as significant decline in Tb.Sp and SMI. The results mirrored the findings obtained from histological examination. Moreover, O-N versus O-L, Col-1 in O-L significant increase (P<0.05). Both forms of acupuncture treatment significantly stimulated the transcription of ALP, BMP, OCN, Col-1, RUNX- 2 and OPG. Laser acupuncture can mitigate bone loss, stimulate osteogenesis, and repair damaged trabecular network in ovariectomized rats. These results provided preliminary evidence that laser acupuncture could be applied as a non-invasive method to osteoporosis treatment.