Abstract
Clinically, acupuncture affects the motility of the extrahepatic biliary tract, but the underlining mechanisms are still unknown. We applied manual acupuncture (MA) and electrical acupuncture (EA) separately at acupoints Tianshu (ST25), Qimen (LR14), Yanglingquan (GB34), and Yidan (CO11) in forty guinea pigs (4 groups) with or without atropinization under anesthesia while Sphincter of Oddi (SO) myoelectric activities and gallbladder pressure were monitored. In both MA and EA groups, stimulation at ST25 or LR14 significantly increased the frequency and amplitude of SO myoelectrical activities and simultaneously decreased the gallbladder pressure as compared to the pre-MA and pre-EA (P < 0.05). On the contrary, stimulation at GB34 or CO11 significantly decreased SO myoelectricity and increased the gallbladder pressure (P < 0.05). Pretreatment with atropine could abolish the effect of stimulation at acupoints ST25, GB34 and LR14 (P > 0.05), although significant myoelectricity increases were still inducible with MA or EA stimulation at CO11 (P < 0.05). In summary, acupuncture has bi-directional effects to gallbladder pressure and SO function, which probably due to autonomic reflex and somatovisceral interactions.
Highlights
Acute and chronic hepatitis, hepatic cirrhosis, cholelithiasis, and other extrahepatic biliary diseases may be reflected as hypochondriac pain and jaundice
Stimulation at GB34 and CO11 caused a significant decrease of the Sphincter of Oddi (SO) myoelectricity and an increase of the gallbladder pressure
Pretreatment with atropine inhibited the effect of stimulation at acupoints ST25, GB34 and LR14, but significant myoelectricity increase was still noted after manual acupuncture (MA) or electrical acupuncture (EA) stimulation at CO11
Summary
Hepatic cirrhosis, cholelithiasis, and other extrahepatic biliary diseases may be reflected as hypochondriac pain and jaundice. It has been confirmed by long-term clinical practice that acupuncture at ST25, LR14, GB34 as well as the auricular concha acupoint CO11 exerts good therapeutic effects on biliary diseases[1,2,3]. The gallbladder is an organ that stores and concentrates bile and has rhythmic and tonic contractions. It is relaxing when the stomach is empty, but contracts after meals. The purpose was to study the effect of acupuncture at ST25, LR14, GB34 and CO11 in regulating the motor function of the extrahepatic biliary system and factors that influence the effect, and to provide the physiological and experimental bases for the clinical practice of acupuncture
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