Shen Pan-Pan, Chen Yue-Ting, Xiao Shuang-Kai, Yao Wen, Yang Ya-Yuan, Lin Xian-Ming
The Third Clinical Medical College of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.
The Third Clinical Medical College of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China; Zhongshan Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310053.
Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 2017 Apr 25;42(2):102-6.
To explore the potential mechanism of acupuncture stimulation of "Taichong" (LR 3) and "Neiguan" (PC 6) in spontaneous hypertension rats (SHR) by investigating its effects on blood pressure and contents of aspartic acid(Asp) and glutamic acid (Glu) in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) region.
A total of 75 SHR were randomized into model group, Taichong (LR 3) group, Neiguan (PC 6) group, LR 3+non-acupoint group and LR 3 + PC 6 group (=15 rats in each group), and 15 Wistar rats of the same age were used as the normal control group. The filiform needles were inserted into the abovementioned acupoints and non-acupoint, twirled for a while and then retained for 30 min. The treatment was conducted once per day, 15 times in total. The rats' tail blood pressure was examined on day 1, 3, 7 and 15 after acupuncture treatment by using a non-invasive blood pressure monitor. At the end of experiment, the contents of Asp and Glu in the RVLM were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV technique.
On day 1, 3, 7 and 15 after the acupuncture treatment, the raised systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and mean arterial blood pressure (MBP) of PC 6, LR 3, LR 3 + non-acupoint and LR 3 + PC 6 groups were all decreased significantly compared with the model group (<0.05). On day 15, the effect of the LR 3 + PC 6 group was significantly superior to that of the LR 3, PC 6, and LR 3 + non-acupoint groups in reducing the levels of SBP, DBP, and MBP (<0.05).Compared with the normal control group, the contents of Asp and Glu in RVLM were significantly higher in the model group (<0.05). After acupuncture intervention, both Asp and Glu levels in the PC 6, LR 3, LR 3 + non-acupoint, and LR 3 + PC 6 groups were markedly lower in comparison with the model group (<0.05), and those of the LR 3 + PC 6 group were notably lower than those in the LR 3 and PC 6 groups (<0.05).
Acupuncture stimulation of PC 6, LR 3, LR 3 + non-acupoint and LR 3 + PC 6 (in particular) is effective in lowering blood pressure in spontaneous hypertension rats, which may be associated with its effects in lowering Asp and Glu contents in RVLM.
通过研究针刺“太冲”（LR 3）和“内关”（PC 6）对自发性高血压大鼠（SHR）血压及延髓头端腹外侧区（RVLM）天冬氨酸（Asp）和谷氨酸（Glu）含量的影响，探讨针刺治疗自发性高血压大鼠的潜在机制。
将75只SHR随机分为模型组、太冲（LR 3）组、内关（PC 6）组、LR 3+非穴位组和LR 3+PC 6组（每组15只），另取15只同龄Wistar大鼠作为正常对照组。将毫针分别刺入上述穴位及非穴位，捻转片刻后留针30分钟。每天治疗1次，共治疗15次。针刺治疗后第1、3、7和15天，使用无创血压监测仪检测大鼠尾动脉血压。实验结束时，采用高效液相色谱-紫外检测法检测RVLM中Asp和Glu的含量。
针刺治疗后第1、3、7和15天，PC 6组、LR 3组、LR 3+非穴位组和LR 3+PC 6组升高的收缩压（SBP）、舒张压（DBP）和平均动脉压（MBP）均较模型组显著降低（P<0.05）。第15天，LR 3+PC 6组在降低SBP、DBP和MBP水平方面的效果显著优于LR 3组、PC 6组和LR 3+非穴位组（P<0.05）。与正常对照组比较，模型组RVLM中Asp和Glu的含量显著升高（P<0.05）。针刺干预后，PC 6组、LR 3组、LR 3+非穴位组和LR 3+PC 6组的Asp和Glu水平均较模型组显著降低（P<0.05），且LR 3+PC 6组显著低于LR 3组和PC 6组（P<0.05）。
针刺PC 6、LR 3、LR 3+非穴位尤其是LR 3+PC 6对自发性高血压大鼠有明显的降压作用，其机制可能与降低RVLM中Asp和Glu的含量有关。
