Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 1990 ; 15(3): 203-6.

[The influence of deep or shallow acupuncturing "huantiao" acupoint upon the analgesia and histochemical components of locus coeruleus]

Zhang G, Ge Z.

Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibution, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Fifty-four healthy male, adult rats were divided at random into three groups: deep and shallow acupuncture groups and the controls. After acupuncturing, the pain threshold were measured and the animals were sacrificed for histochemical examination in locus coeruleus. The pain threshold of deep acupunctured animals was elevated but that of shallow acupunctured and controls were not. The difference between them was significantly. The amount of AChE and RNA of perikaryons in locus coeruleus of mentioned three groups were measured with micropiotometer. The reaction of AChE and RNA in deep acupuncture group increased significantly in comparison with that of control as well as shallow acupuncturing group. These reactivities of the latter two groups were similar to each other. The results indicated that the effect of acupuncture might be involved in the stimulating of the deeper structure of acupuncture point.