Effects of catgut embedding and PGLA embedding at "Zusanli" (ST 36) on skin mast cells, substance P and histamine in healthy rats / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effects of catgut embedding and polyglycolic acid/poly-lactic acid (PGLA) embedding at "Zusanli" (ST 36) on the activation of local skin mast cells (MC), and expression of substance P (SP) and histamine (HA), and to explore the mechanism of the temporal stimulation effect of acupoint catgut embedding and provide a foundation for further research on the initiation mechanism of acupoint catgut embedding.@*METHODS@#One hundred and sixty male SPF-grade SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group (10 rats), a sham-embedding group (50 rats), a catgut group (50 rats), and a PGLA group (50 rats). Each intervention group was further randomly divided into five subgroups according to the time points after intervention: 8 hours, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days, and 21 days, with 10 rats in each subgroup. One-time sham-embedding, catgut embedding and PGLA embedding was given at left "Zusanli" (ST 36) in each intervention group, respectively. The skin and subcutaneous connective tissue of the left "Zusanli" (ST 36) were collected at the corresponding time points after intervention, except for the blank group (only one day before intervention). Toluidine blue staining was used to detect MC count and degranulation, and immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of SP and HA positive cells.@*RESULTS@#There was no significant difference in MC count between the subgroups of each intervention group and the blank group (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in MC count between the subgroups of the catgut group and the PGLA group (P>0.05). The MC count in the 8-hour subgroup of PGLA group was higher than that in the 8-hour subgroup of catgut group (P<0.05), while the MC count in the 21-day subgroup of PGLA group was lower than that in the 21-day subgroup of catgut group (P<0.05). Compared with the blank group, the degranulation rates of MC were increased in the 8-hour and 3-day subgroups of sham-embedding group, 8-hour, 3-day, and 7-day subgroups of catgut group, and 8-hour, 3-day, 7-day, and 14-day subgroups of PGLA group (P<0.01, P<0.05, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the degranulation rate of MC between the subgroups of the catgut group and the PGLA group (P>0.05), and no significant difference in the degranulation rate of MC between the two embedding groups at the same time point (P>0.05). Compared with the blank group, the expression of SP positive cells was increased in the 8-hour subgroup of sham-embedding group, 8-hour, 3-day, 7-day, and 14-day subgroups of catgut group, and 3-day, 7-day, and 14-day subgroups of PGLA group (P<0.001, P<0.05). The expression of SP positive cells in the 7-day subgroup of catgut group was higher than that in the 8-hour subgroup of catgut group (P<0.05), while the expression of SP positive cells in the 14-day subgroup of catgut group was lower than that in the 7-day subgroup of catgut group (P<0.001). The expression of SP positive cells in the 7-day subgroup of PGLA group was higher than that in the 3-day subgroup of PGLA group (P<0.05), while the expression of SP positive cells in the 14-day subgroup of PGLA group was lower than that in the 7-day subgroup of PGLA group (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in the expression of SP positive cells between the subgroups of the two embedding groups at the same time point (P>0.05). Compared with the blank group, the expression of HA positive cells was increased in the 8-hour, 3-day subgroups of sham-embedding group, 8-hour, 3-day, 7-day, and 14-day subgroups of catgut group, and 8-hour, 3-day, 7-day, 14-day, and 21-day subgroups of PGLA group (P<0.001, P<0.01, P<0.05). The expression of HA positive cells in the 14-day subgroup of catgut group was lower than that in the 7-day subgroup of catgut group (P<0.05), while the expression of HA positive cells in the 3-day subgroup of PGLA group was higher than that in the 8-hour subgroup of PGLA group (P<0.05), and the expression of HA positive cells in the 14-day subgroup of PGLA group was lower than that in the 7-day subgroup of PGLA group (P<0.05). The expression of HA positive cells in the 3-day subgroup of PGLA group was higher than that in the 3-day subgroup of catgut group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Catgut and PGLA embedding at "Zusanli" (ST 36) in healthy rats could induce changes in local skin MC, SP, and HA, which may be one of the mechanisms of the temporal stimulation effect after acupoint embedding. There are certain differences between different suture materials. A moderate inflammatory response in the acupoint area, mediated by MC and involving SP and HA, may be one of the initiating factors for the effect of acupoint catgut embedding.

Observation on time-effect for the stimulating at Zusanli (ST 36) with minimally invasive embedding with PGLA in the healthy person / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the objectivity and time-effect of stimulating effect at acupoint with PGLA in the healthy person, and to provide a basis for the rational interval of minimally invasive embedding of PGLA.@*METHODS@#Before embedding, 8 h, 3rd, 7th, 10th, 14th day after embedding, medical imaging magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning technique was used to collect local T2WI pressure-lowering and T2-Mapping 8 echoes sequence image of left Zusanli (ST 36) in 8 cases of healthy person. The T2-Mapping 8 echoes sequence image was generated by the relevant software to the T2-Mapping image and the local T2 value was measured. The characteristics of local T2WI pressure-fat image signal intensity and the change of T2 value at left Zusanli (ST 36) with minimally invasive embedding with PGLA were observed and analyzed.@*RESULTS@#①There was no abnormal signal on the T2WI pressure-fat image on the left Zusanli (ST 36) point before the embedding. The high-signal was seen on the local T2WI pressure-fat image at each time point after embedding, there was no significant difference in local signal intensity between 8 h, 3rd and 7th day after embedding. The local signal intensity decreased on the 10th day after embedding, and the local signal intensity decreased significantly on the 14th day after embedding.②The T2 value at each time point after embedding increased significantly compared with that before embedding (all 0.05); there was no significant difference between the T2 value on the 7th and the 10th day after embedding (>0.05)，the T2 value on the 14th day after embedding was significantly lower than that on the 7th day after embedding (<0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#It has a stimulating effect on the local acupoints with minimally invasive embedding with PGLA in the healthy person, and the stimulating effect has certain time-effect. The effective stimulation time is about 2 weeks. The rational interval period for the minimally invasive embedding with the PGLA of the same specification type should be about 2 weeks.