Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 1990 ; 15(1): 18-23.

[The change of ACh metabolism in the dorsal horn of spinal cord and spinal ganglia during electroacupuncture analgesia (EAA)]

Guan X, Shi J, Zhang Y, Zhang N, Zhang J, Qian H.

Research Department of Acupuncture Analgesia Mechanism, Department of Neurobiology Tongji Medical University, Wuhan.

In this paper a preliminary study was made about the relationship between ACh and the primary input of acupuncture sensation based on the changes of content of ACh, its synthetic enzyme (choline acetylase, or ChAC) and its degradation enzyme (acetylcholinesterase, or AChE) in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and spinal ganglia. The results were found that: 1) EA at "huantiao" exerted a marked analgesia effect, the acupuncture analgesia was inhibited when the lateral dorsal root was cut off. 2) The content of ACh of the EA group were slightly lower than those of the control group. 3) AChE activity in the spinal ganglia and the dorsal horn increased markedly under electroacupuncture stimulation. 4) The activity of ChAC in the dorsal horn of rats under acupuncture stimulation was significantly higher than those of the control group. 5) ACh content in the spinal ganglia increased obviously when the degradation of peripheral ACh was inhibited by prostigmine. 6) With the lumber dorsal roots excised, AChE activity of the operative side were much lower than those of the intact side during EA stimulation. It suggest that the metabolism of ACh in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and spinal ganglia change during the course of EAA, and only when signals produced at the acupoints are delivered to the spinal cord via ACh-containing primary somatosensory nerves, can they exert analgesic and therapeutic effect of acupuncture.