Objective. To collect and summarize relevant literatures on the experimental researches of sciatic nerve injury (SNI) with acupuncture during the last decade providing a guideline for effectively treating SNI with acupuncture in the future. Methods. The Chinese and English databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform (WanFang Data), VIP Information Chinese Journal Service Platform (VIP Date), and PubMed were searched from 2009 to 2020 with keywords of acupuncture and moxibustion OR acupuncture OR electroacupuncture OR scalp acupuncture OR wrist-ankle acupuncture OR acupoint injection OR ear acupuncture AND sciatic nerve OR sciatic nerve injury OR sciatic injury OR SNI. The collected data were mainly evaluated in the items of animal model of SNI, type of interventions, selection of acupuncture points (acupoints), course of treatment and its frequency, and approaches of assessment. Results. A total of 89 studies were included in this analysis. Among them, the most commonly used animal models of SNI were produced by the clamp or transverse injury in the rats; the most frequently used intervention was electroacupuncture with dilatational wave of 2/100Hz; the frequency of acupuncture was mainly performed once per day lasting for more than 2 weeks; the mainly selected acupoints were Huantiao (GB30), Zusanli (ST36), and Yanglingquan (GB34); and the approaches of assessment were contained with behavioral, functional, morphological, histological, cellular, and molecular measurements. Conclusion. The results indicated that the experimental researches of SNI with acupuncture has made marked progress in recent years, which may provide important clues for further investigating the underlying mechanisms of acupuncture for the treatment of SNI in the future.

Retinal pericytes are essential for vascular development and stability of the retina, playing a key role in maintaining the integrity of the retinal vasculature. To provide a detailed view of the morphological characteristics of pericytes, this study described a new approach combining the retro-orbital injection of a fluorescent agent, immunofluorescent-staining, and tissue-clearing treatment. Firstly, the fluorescent tomato lectin was injected into the retro-orbital sinus of the live mouse to label the retinal vasculature. After 5 min, the mouse was sacrificed, and its intact retina was carefully removed from the retinal cup and immunofluorescently stained with platelet-derived growth factor receptor β to reveal the pericytes. Additionally, the stained retina was treated with tissue-clearing reagent and whole mounted on the microscope slide. Through these approaches, the retinal vasculature and pericytes were clearly observed in the transparent retina. Under a confocal microscope, we obtained more opportunities to take high-resolution images for further reconstructing and analyzing the morphological characteristics of pericytes along the retinal vascular tree in a three-dimensional view. Methodologically, this protocol offers an effective approach for visualizing pericytes within the retinal vasculature, providing valuable insights into their role under both physiological and pathological conditions.

Objective: This study aimed to neuroanatomically confirm the bilateral innervation of the examined governor vessel (GV)-associated dorsal midline regions and functionally compare the gastric regulatory effects of GV6, BL21, and BL50. Methods: A combination of morphological and functional experiments was conducted: (1) an Evans blue (EB) extravasation assay retrograde neural tracing (Alexa Fluor 488/594-conjugated cholera toxin subunit B), and anterograde neural tracing (AAV2/9-hSyn-EYFP/tdTomato) were performed to delineate the innervation pattern of the GV (dorsal midline) at the neuroanatomical level; (2) in vivo electrophysiological recordings were performed to monitor gastric motility changes following electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation at GV6 and the bladder meridian (BL) acupoints (BL21 and BL50); and (3) left celiac–superior mesenteric ganglion complex (GLX) resection was performed to compare the regulatory effects of the GV and BL acupoints (GV6, BL21, and BL50) on gastric function. Results: Morphologically, ipsilateral electrical stimulation of the dorsal root or dorsal ramus resulted in extravasation of EB across the dorsal midline. Neuro tracing experiments showed that the GV8 region received convergent sensory afferents from bilateral dorsal root ganglia, whereas the BL47 region received predominantly ipsilateral innervation. Functionally, EA at GV6 produced a greater inhibitory effect on gastric motility than EA at BL21 and BL50 ( P < 0.05). Crucially, following unilateral sympathetic denervation, the inhibitory effect of GV6 was partially preserved, whereas the inhibitory effects at BL21 and BL50 were no longer evident. Conclusion: The examined GV-associated dorsal midline regions exhibited bilateral sensory innervation, whereas GV6 produced a greater inhibitory effect on gastric motility than BL21 and BL50. This anatomical organization may contribute to the functional characteristics of the examined GV acupoint.

Retinal pericytes are essential for vascular development and stability of the retina, playing a key role in maintaining the integrity of the retinal vasculature. To provide a detailed view of the morphological characteristics of pericytes, this study described a new approach combining the retro-orbital injection of a fluorescent agent, immunofluorescent-staining, and tissue-clearing treatment. Firstly, the fluorescent tomato lectin was injected into the retro-orbital sinus of the live mouse to label the retinal vasculature. After 5 min, the mouse was sacrificed, and its intact retina was carefully removed from the retinal cup and immunofluorescently stained with platelet-derived growth factor receptor β to reveal the pericytes. Additionally, the stained retina was treated with tissue-clearing reagent and whole mounted on the microscope slide. Through these approaches, the retinal vasculature and pericytes were clearly observed in the transparent retina. Under a confocal microscope, we obtained more opportunities to take high-resolution images for further reconstructing and analyzing the morphological characteristics of pericytes along the retinal vascular tree in a three-dimensional view. Methodologically, this protocol offers an effective approach for visualizing pericytes within the retinal vasculature, providing valuable insights into their role under both physiological and pathological conditions.