The Time Course Effects of Electroacupuncture on Promoting Skeletal Muscle Regeneration and Inhibiting Excessive Fibrosis after Contusion in Rabbits

Figure 4

The ultrastructure of GM on days 7 and 14, and after contusion. On day 7 post-contusion, the structure of myofibrils and sarcomeres in the contusion groups was disordered. In the contusion group, the Z-Line was vague and streaming. The swelling of the mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticulum was uniform in the rhIGF-I group and the number of both organelles increased. On day 14 after contusion, myofibrils were small and the diameter was different in the contusion group. In the EA and rhIGF-I groups, the arrangement between myofibrils appeared like the connection of joints: the Z-Line was clear and regular and the diameter of myofibrils was uneven. On day 28 post-contusion, the Z-Lines disappeared in some myofibrils in the contusion group and some were atrophic. The mitochondria gathered under the sarcolemma like a large bubble. The structures of the myofibril, sarcomere, and Z-Line were regular and mitochondria returned to normal in both the EA and rhIGF-I groups.