Huang Andy C, Liu Ming-Che, Tsai Tung-Hu, Chang Ya-Han, Wu Jia-Min, Yeh Kuei-Ying
Institute of Traditional Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University; Department of Urology, Taipei City Hospital Ren-Ai Branch, Taipei, Taiwan.
Department of Urology, Taipei Medical University Hospital; School of Dental Technology, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chin J Physiol. 2020 Jul-Aug;63(4):163-170. doi: 10.4103/CJP.CJP_34_20.
Acupuncture is a key component of Traditional Chinese Medicine in which needles are inserted into specific areas in the body to stimulate certain physiological reactions of the body. Clinical research shows that acupuncture is beneficial in treating a variety of illnesses, such as erectile dysfunction. Therefore, we investigated the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of both low- and high frequencies at Guanyuan (CV4) and Zhongji (CV3) acupoints on male copulatory behavior in sexually experienced male rats. The animals were randomly divided into four groups: control, sham EA, EA, and only acupuncture. The administered low and high EA were 2 Hz and 80 Hz, respectively, for which the respective intensities were 1.5 mA (30 min/day for 5 days) and 1.5 mA (30 min once). The only acupuncture-administered group received acupunctures at CV4 and CV3 without electrical stimulation. Following the acupuncture treatments, copulatory behavior test was conducted. Eventually, animals were sacrificed and blood samples were collected for testing the serum hormonal profile including luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (T), and serotonin (5-HT). Results showed that low-frequency EA-treated rats exhibited increasing intromissions and ejaculation latency compared to control, sham EA, and acupuncture groups, while high-frequency EA-treated rats displayed lower intromissions and ejaculation frequency when compared with those in controls. Furthermore, serum levels of 5-HT and LH in low-frequency EA-treated rats were higher than all the other groups. These results indicate that compared to high-frequency EA, the low-frequency EA might be efficacious in the treatment of premature ejaculation, thereby improving sexual behavior.
针灸是传统中医的一个关键组成部分，即把针插入身体的特定部位以刺激身体的某些生理反应。临床研究表明，针灸有助于治疗多种疾病，如勃起功能障碍。因此，我们研究了对有性经验的雄性大鼠，在关元穴（CV4）和中极穴（CV3）进行低频和高频电针（EA）刺激对其交配行为的影响。动物被随机分为四组：对照组、假电针组、电针组和仅针刺组。给予的低频和高频电针分别为2赫兹和80赫兹，其各自强度分别为1.5毫安（每天30分钟，共5天）和1.5毫安（一次30分钟）。仅针刺组在CV4和CV3接受针刺但无电刺激。针刺治疗后，进行交配行为测试。最终，处死动物并采集血样以检测血清激素水平，包括黄体生成素（LH）、睾酮（T）和血清素（5 - HT）。结果显示，与对照组、假电针组和针刺组相比，低频电针治疗的大鼠插入次数增加且射精潜伏期延长，而高频电针治疗的大鼠与对照组相比插入次数和射精频率较低。此外，低频电针治疗的大鼠血清5 - HT和LH水平高于所有其他组。这些结果表明，与高频电针相比，低频电针可能对治疗早泄有效，从而改善性行为。
