Study On The Effects And Its Mechanisms Of Electroacupuncturing At Zusanli Points (ST36) On Attenuating Of Inflammatory Mediators Releases And Organ Dysfunction In Rat With Endotoxin Challenge

Objective: 1. To make an animal model in treatment of endotoximia with electroacupuncture in conscious rats; 2. To investigate the effects of electroacupuncturing (EA) at Zusanli points (ST36) on endotoxin induced inflammatory mediators releases and organ dysfunction; 3. To explore the anti-inflammatory and organ protective effects whether are related to cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway.Methods: Male Wistar rats were divided into eight groups (each=10). Sham control, Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection alone, LPS+EA, no-acupoint control, LPS+bilateral cervical vagotomy, LPS+vagotomy+EA, LPS+α-bungarotoxin (α-BGT, an antagon of α₇ subunit of cholinergic N receptor) and LPS+α-BGT+EA. LPS (5mg/kg) and α-BGT (1μg/kg) were injected into caudal vein respectively. Bilateral Zusanli points (ST36) were electroacupunctured with constant voltage (2mA, 2-100Hz) for 1.5 hour approximately 30min after LPS injection. All the animals were sacrificed 2h after LPS challenge. Levels of inflammatory mediators (TNF-α, IL-10, NO and NOS) in plasma, parameters of organ function (ALT, CK-MB, Cr and DAO), and histopathologic changes in liver, lung and small intestine were determined.Results: 1. LPS injection resulted in significant lowering of leucocyte count and body temperature, and high level of inflammatory mediators, and these changes met the criteria of SIRS in animal; 2. Compared with sham control, LPS injection resulted in significant elevation of inflammatory mediators (TNF-α, IL-10, NO and NOS) and organ function parameters (ALT, CK-MB, Cr andDAO), which were companied with histopathologic inflammatory changes in liver, lung and small intestine; 3. EA at Zusanli points obviously lowered the elevated levels of inflammatory mediators (TNF-α, IL-10, NO and NOS) and the increased activities of organ function related enzyme (ALT, CK-MB and DAO), and it also alleviated histopathologic insults in liver, lung and small intestine; 4. α-BGT injection or bilateral cervical vagotomy further elevated the increased levels of inflammatory mediators and organ function parameters, and made more serious histopathologic changes compared with LPS injection alone; 5. EA at Zusanli points following the injection of α-BGT or bilateral cervical vagotomy showed less anti-inflammatory and organ protective effects.Conclusion: 1. We successfully set up a clinically imitated model in treatment of endotoximia and organ insults with electroacupuncture in conscious rats; 2. EA at Zusanli points significantly lowered the elevated levels of inflammatory mediators, and attenuated organ dysfunctions and histopathologic insults after LPS challenge; 3. The activation of cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway might be one of the mechanisms of EA at Zusanli points exerting the anti-inflammatory and organ protective effects.