Changes in basic fibroblast growth factor during the healing process of rabbit skeletal muscle contusion and intervention effect of massage

Abstract:

Objective：To investigate the effect of massage on quadriceps femoris repair after injury by external force with the histologi－cal observation and ultrasound imaging observation as well as the influences of basic fibroblast growth factor （bFGF） in New Zealand rabbits so as to explore the possible molecular mechanisms of massage in repair of muscle injury. Methods：Thirty-two New Zealand white rabbits，weighing （2.0±0.5） kg，were randomly divided into 4 groups：normal control（group A，n=4），control group before the massage （group B，n=4），self-repairing group（group C，n=12，further divided into 7，14，21 d groups） and massage group（group D，n=12，further divided into 7，14，21 d groups）. In group A，no treatment was made and rabbits were taken as normal controls；in groups B，C，D，rabbit models of quadriceps femoris injury were prepared by self-made beater；in group C，no massage therapy was given and rabbits were taken as natural recovery controls；in group D，massage therapy was given at the 5th after model was built. At 7，14，21 d after injury，4 different animal quadriceps samples were taken in groups C and D respectively. Immunohistochemical method was used to detect expression of bFGF protein. HE staining was employed to inspect pathological changes. Ultrasound imaging was employed to inspect the tissue necrosis situation at 7，14 d after model build. Results：After massage intervention，expression of bFGF was higher in group D than in group C at 7 d（P=0.016），higher in group C than in group D at 14，21 d（P=0.000，P=0.020）. Ultrasound of mi－cro-bubble angiography and HE staining showed that injury was lighter，blood supply was richer，necrotic area was significantly de－creased and vascular restored faster in group D compared with those in group C. Conclusions：Massage can effectively prevent muscle atrophy，degeneration and necrosis，provide a rich blood supply for the damage regions and promote the angiogenesis. Mech－anism of beneficial effect of massage on injury repair and neovascularization may be related with bFGF.