[Analysis on Influencing Factors of Acupoint Injection of Drugs for Improving Allergic Rhinitis in Rats].

OBJECTIVE

To observe the therapeutic effect of acupoint injection of mixture solution of lidocaine, dexa-methasone (DX) and transfer factor on symptoms and serum histamine contents in allergic rhinitis (AR) rats, so as to differentiate the role of acupoint stimulation or drug factor influencing the therapeutic effect.

METHODS

SD rats were randomized into normal (=8), model, non-acupoint-drug injection, acupoint-drug injection and acupoint-saline injection groups (=11 in each group). The AR model was established by intraperitoneal injection of suspension of ovalbumin (0.3 mg) and aluminum hydroxide (30 mg), 1 mL, once every other day for 7 days, followed by nose-dripping of 5% ovalbumin (50 μL) for other 7 days. The AR scores for rhinocnesmus severity (1-2 points), sneezing times (1-3 points) and nasal discharge quantity (1-3 points) were assessed by cumulative quantification scoring method. "Yintang" (EX-HN 3) and bilateral "Yingxiang" (LI 20) were used for acupoint injection of mixture solution of 1% Lidocaine, DX and transfer factor (1:1:1, 0.1 mL/acupoint), once every other day for 7 days. The non-acupoints were located at the bilateral sub-costal regions and the mid-point between the left "Houhai" (GV 1) and "Huantiao" (GB 30).The same dose of saline was injected into the aforementioned acupoints for control. Serum histamine content was detected by using ELISA, and the nasal mucosal pathological changes were also observed after H.E. stain.

RESULTS

After the treatment, AR modeling induced increase of symptom scores and serum histamine contents were significantly decreased in both acupoint-saline injection and acupoint-drug injection groups (<0.01) but not in the non-acupoint-drug injection group (>0.05), and the effects of acupoint-drug injection were markedly superior to those of non-acupoint-drug injection group (<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Acupoint injection of mixture solution of Lidocaine, DX and transfer factor is effective in relieving the allergic symptoms and reducing the nasal mucosa inflammation in AR rats, which may be related to its action in suppressing histamine releasing, mainly by acupoint stimulation. It suggests that the therapeutic effect mainly derives from acupoint-injection stimulation, then the injected drugs.