Effects of electroacupuncture combined with spinal anesthesia on the regulation of stress response in rats

LIU Li; JIANG Yi-hong; XIONG Wei-wei; Tan Yi; HUANG Zhi-hua; LI Ai-guo; YANG Hua

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2014.20.007

Abstract：Objective To investigate the influence of electroacupuncture(EA) in different points combined with spinal anesthesia on acute stress response and mechanisms related with expression of spinal c-fos protein. Methods Fifty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 5 groups:groupⅠwere normal rats receiving only 50μL saline intrathecal IT injection;groupⅡwere docked rats receiving IT with 50 μL saline;groupⅢ were docked rats receiving IT injection of 50 μL, 2.5 μg fentanyl; group Ⅳwere docked rats receiving IT injection of fentanyl 50μL and EA at′zu-san-li′;groupⅤwere docked rats receiving EA at′er xue′and IT fentanyl. Serum corticosterone (CORT) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels were measured by ELISA. Determined the c-fos protein expression levels of L4-6 spinal by western blotting. Result GroupⅡACTH, CORT levels and c-fos expression was significantly higher than those in groupⅠ(P<0.01). Compared with groupⅡ, groupⅢ,ⅣandⅤhad higher ACTH and CORT levels (P<0.05). However, c-fos expression in the spinal cord between groupⅡandⅢshowed no difference (P>0.05). Between groupⅢandⅣ, no differences in serum hormone levels (P > 0.05) were detected. In group Ⅴ the c-fos expression was lower than that of the Ⅳ group (P < 0.01). Conclusion Body acupuncture and auricular electrical stimulation combined with intrathecal anesthesia were effective to reduce pain in rats with acute stress reactions. Under intrathecal anesthesia, auricular stimulation played a better role of non-nerve block region, and the mechanism may be due to the release of neurotransmitters induced c-fos protein in spinal cord.