Effects of Acupuncture on Nerve Blood Flow

作为针刺治疗糖尿病性神经病变的前期研究，我们观察了电针对大鼠坐骨血流的影响。采用激光多普勒血流仪测量神经血流。将大鼠分为以下三组；1)低频（1Hz, 5Hz）电针刺激大鼠。2)用高频（20Hz, 100Hz）电针刺激大鼠。老鼠的尾巴受到挤压刺激。电针组对大鼠的植物进行刺激。低频电针刺激大鼠血流和血压变化不大，而高频电针刺激大鼠和捏剌刺激大鼠血流和血压均有短时增高。这些反应均被酚妥拉明（α受体阻滞剂）抑制。结果表明，高频电针和针刺刺激引起的坐骨血流量增加与血压有关。

As a preparatory study on the effect of acupuncture treatment of diabetic neuropathy, we investigated the effect of electroacupuncture on the sciatic blood flow in rats. Nerve blood flow was measured with laser doppler flowmetry. The rats were divided into following three groups ;1) rats stimulated with low frequent (1Hz, 5Hz) electroacupuncture.2) rats stimulatedwith highfrequent (20Hz, 100Hz) electroacupuncture.3) rats stimulated in their tails with pinch.In electroacupuncture group, rats were stimulated in their plantae.In the rats stimulated with low frequent electroacupuncture little change was seen, while temporal increase of both blood flow and blood pressure were observed in the rats stimulated with high frequent electroacupuncture and in the rats applied pinch stimulation. Also these reactions were all inhibited by administration of phentolamine (alpha receptor blocker).Those results suggests the increase of sciatic blood flow induced by high frequent electroacupuncture and pinch stimulation are dependent on the blood pressure.