Acupunct Electrother Res. 1989 ; 14(1): 1-7.

Relationship between acupuncture-induced immunity and the regulation of central neurotransmitter system in rabbits--II. Effect of the endogenous opioid peptides on the regulation of acupuncture-induced immune reaction.

Zhao JC, Liu WQ.

Shaanxi Provincial Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology, People's Republic of China.

By injecting Naloxone, the T-lymphocyte transformation was reduced markedly. When the Naloxone plus electro-acupuncture were used together, it was not reduced but was still lower than it was when only electro-acupuncture was used. This explained why Naloxone could reverse the function by which electro-acupuncture promoted the T-lymphocyte transformation, and the endogenous opioid in the brain promoted the immune reaction. Through promoting the release of the endogenous opioid in the brain, electro-acupuncture raised the T-lymphocyte transformation function. Using electro-acupuncture when naloxone antagonized morphine, the T-lymphocyte transformation function was still promoted markedly. The mechanism could be that electro-acupuncture excited the function of the endogenous opioid system in the brain. In acupuncture immune reaction, the relationship between the endogenous opioid and catecholaminergic systems was explored.