Inoue Motohiro, Hojo Tatsuya, Yano Tadashi, Katsumi Yasukazu
Meiji University of Oriental Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Acupunct Med. 2003 Jun;21(1-2):9-17. doi: 10.1136/aim.21.1-2.9.
This study was designed to examine the effects of electroacupuncture with direct current (DC) on peripheral nerve regeneration. The left sciatic nerve of 55 7-month-old rats was crushed at the thigh. They were ramdomly allocated to four groups: distal cathode DC group (n = 15), distal anode DC group (n = 14), sham operated group (n = 13), and control group (n = 13). In the distal cathode DC group, a cathode electrode was connected to an insulated acupuncture needle inserted at 1 cm distal to the injured site, while an anode electrode was connected to a needle inserted at 1 cm proximal to the lesion. In the distal anode DC group, the anode and the cathode electrode were connected to the needle at 1 cm distal and proximal to the lesion respectively. In the sham operated group, no electrical stimulation was given to the insulated needle inserted at the same site, and in the control group, no treatment was given. Regeneration of the sciatic nerve was evaluated by the number of evoked EMGs recorded at 12 sites in the plantar region, by their latency, and by the weight ratio of the tibialis anterior at four weeks after the crush injury. Regeneration of the peripheral nerve was faster and more accelerated in the distal cathode DC group than in the other groups, while in the distal anode DC group the regeneration was delayed. This result suggested electroacupuncture with cathode distal orientation might be a useful treatment having the advantage of enabling deeper insertion with minimal tissue damage.
本研究旨在探讨直流（DC）电针刺激对周围神经再生的影响。将55只7月龄大鼠的左侧坐骨神经在大腿处钳夹。它们被随机分为四组：远端阴极直流电组（n = 15）、远端阳极直流电组（n = 14）、假手术组（n = 13）和对照组（n = 13）。在远端阴极直流电组中，阴极电极连接到插入损伤部位远端1 cm处的绝缘针灸针上，而阳极电极连接到插入损伤部位近端1 cm处的针上。在远端阳极直流电组中，阳极和阴极电极分别连接到损伤部位远端和近端1 cm处的针上。在假手术组中，对插入相同部位的绝缘针不给予电刺激，而在对照组中，不给予任何治疗。通过记录足底区域12个部位诱发肌电图的数量、其潜伏期以及挤压伤后四周胫前肌的重量比来评估坐骨神经的再生情况。与其他组相比，远端阴极直流电组周围神经的再生更快且更迅速，而在远端阳极直流电组中再生则延迟。该结果表明，阴极远端定向的电针可能是一种有用的治疗方法，具有能够在最小组织损伤的情况下进行更深插入的优点。
