Cha Myeoung Hoon, Choi Ji Soo, Bai Sun Joon, Shim Insop, Lee Hye-Jung, Choi Sun Mi, Lee Bae Hwan
Department of Physiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752, Korea.
Yonsei Med J. 2006 Jun 30;47(3):359-66. doi: 10.3349/ymj.2006.47.3.359.
Peripheral nerve injury often results in abnormal neuropathic pain such as allodynia or hyperalgesia. Acupuncture, a traditional Oriental medicine, has been used to relieve pain and related symptoms. However, the efficiency of acupuncture in relieving neuropathic pain is not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-allodynic effects of acupuncture through behavioral and electrophysiological examinations. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to neuropathic surgery consisting of a tight ligation and transection of the left tibial and sural nerves, under pentobarbital anesthesia. The acupuncture experiment consisted of four different groups, one treated at each of three different acupoints (Zusanli (ST36), Yinlingquan (SP9), and a sham-acupoint) and a control group. Behavioral tests for mechanical allodynia and cold allodynia were performed for up to two weeks postoperatively. Extracellular electrophysiological recordings were made from the dorsal roots using platinum wire electrodes. Mechanical and cold allodynia were significantly reduced after acupuncture treatment at the Zusanli and Yinlingquan acupoints, respectively. Electrophysiological neural responses to von Frey and acetone tests were also reduced after acupuncture at the same two acupoints. These results suggest that acupuncture may be beneficial in relieving neuropathic pain.
周围神经损伤常导致异常的神经性疼痛，如痛觉过敏或感觉异常。针灸作为一种传统的东方医学，已被用于缓解疼痛及相关症状。然而，针灸缓解神经性疼痛的效果尚不清楚。本研究的目的是通过行为学和电生理学检查来探究针灸的抗痛觉过敏作用。在戊巴比妥麻醉下，对雄性Sprague-Dawley大鼠进行神经病理性手术，即对左侧胫神经和腓肠神经进行紧密结扎和横断。针灸实验分为四组，分别在三个不同穴位（足三里（ST36）、阴陵泉（SP9））之一及一个假穴位进行治疗，并设一个对照组。术后进行长达两周的机械性痛觉过敏和冷痛觉过敏行为测试。使用铂丝电极从背根进行细胞外电生理记录。分别在足三里和阴陵泉穴位进行针灸治疗后，机械性和冷痛觉过敏均显著减轻。在相同的两个穴位进行针灸后，对von Frey和丙酮测试的电生理神经反应也有所降低。这些结果表明，针灸可能有助于缓解神经性疼痛。
