THE EFFECTS OF ELECTRO-ACUPUNCTURE ON PERIPHERAL NERVE REGENERATION IN RATS / 体力科学

ABSTRACT

This study was undertaken to examine the effects of electro-acupuncture with direct current on peripheral nerve regeneration. Fifty-five 7 month old male rats were used in the present study. Sciatic nerve of each rat was crushed at the thigh, then the subject were divided into four groups as Cathode distal group (n=15), Anode distal group (n=14), Sham group (n=13), and Control group (n=13) . In the Cathode distal group, an insulated acupuncture needle which was inserted at lcm distal to the injured site was used as cathodal electrode, while a needle inserted at lcm proximal to the lesion was used as anodal electrode. In the Anode distal group, the needle at lcm distal and pro. ximal to the lesion were used as the anodal and the cathodal electrodes respectively. In the Sham group, no electrical stimulation were given to the insulated needle inserted at the same site as the aforementioned groups. In the Control group, no operation was given after crush injury. Regeneration of the sciatic nerve were evaluated with the number and the latency of the evoked EMG recorded at 12 sites in the foot, the behavioral test score (BTS) at 1, 2, 3, and 4 week after crush injury, weight ratio of the tibialis anterior and morphological study at 4 weeks after crush injury. Every kind of evaluation indicated that regeneration of the peripheral nerve was faster in the Cathode distal group than those in the other group. In the Anode distal group, the number of the evoked EMG and BTS were significantly lower than those in the Control group with tendency of longer latency and lesser muscle weight ratio. We suggested that electro-acupuncture with cathode distal orientation accelerated regeneration of the peripheral nerve after crush injury, while anode distal orientation delayed the regeneration. The electro-acupuncture with cathode distal orientation might be one of the useful treatment having advantage to perform deeper insertion with minimal invasion.