ArticleJournal of orthopaedic surgery and research2025
Mechanistic effects of percutaneous needle fasciotomy combined with stretching on early-stage skeletal muscle fibrosis in rats: focus on the TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway.
Article in Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Molecular mechanisms of skeletal muscle fibrosis and potential targeted therapeutic strategies.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
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8 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundTo investigate the effects of combination combining Percutaneous Needle Fasciotomy (PNF) with stretching(Str) on early-stage skeletal muscle fibrosis in rats, focusing on the transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1)/Smad signaling pathway.
methodsTwenty-four male Wistar rats were randomly divided into Control, immobilization(imm), Acupuncture(Apu) + Str, and PNF + Str groups (n = 6 each). After establishing a gastrocnemius fibrosis model by 4-week ankle imm in the right hindlimb ankle, intervention groups received either PNF (0.35 × 25 mm needle insertion with fascial release) or Apu (following an identical protocol), both combined with daily passive Str (3-N dorsiflexion for 7 days). Post-intervention assessments included functional tests (ankle joint range of motion, hindlimb grip strength, andgastrocnemius twitch/tetanic contractile forces), histological evaluation (collagen content via Masson's trichrome staining and immunofluorescence), and molecular analysis of TGF-β1/Smad pathway components.
resultsCompared to the imm group, the PNF + Str group exhibited significantly better muscle performance, reduced histopathological damage, and favorable modulation of TGF-β1/Smad signaling markers. Importantly, these improvements were more pronounced than those in the Apu + Str group, wich demonstrates PNF's superior therapeutic effects in enhancing functional recovery, reducing fibrosis, and regulating the TGF-β1/Smad pathway.
conclusionOur findings from this animal model demonstrate that PNF was superior to Apu in alleviating early-stage skeletal muscle fibrosis over the short term, potentially via modulation of the TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway, though long-term effects warrant further investigation.
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