Electroacupuncture at Governor Vessel improves neurobehavioral function via silencing complexin I

Governor Vessel electro-acupuncture (GV), as a traditional Chinese medicine, has been proved that it can reduce scar and promote axon regeneration. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Herein, complexin I (CPLX1), as a candidate protein involved in the process of GV treatment on spinal cord contusion (SCC), was found by using protein chip. Therefore, using a CRISPR/Cas9 knockout approach, we silenced CPLX1 to assess its role in the process of GV treatment. Additionally, eIF5A1 promotes translation of CPLX1 with PPG sequence, we attempt to uncover whether eIF5A1 play a role in GV treatment. Indeed, GV can reduce scar and promote axon regeneration after SCC. CPLX1-/+ SCC rats demonstrated that decreased CPLX1 improved the microenvironment of injured area via reducing the components of fibrotic scar and further enhanced the synaptic plasticity, which benefit the regeneration of axons. And eIF5A1 could regulate the expression of CPLX1 in the process of GV treatment. Therefore, GV contributes to axon regeneration and synapse plasticity via eIF5A1 regulating CPLX1 following SCC, providing a convincible mechanism for improving the therapeutic efficacy of GV for SCC.