Effect of electro-acupuncture on rat joint pathomorphology of chronic adjuvant arthritis model

Abstract

Objective:To study the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) on pathomorphological changes of joints in rat model of chronic adjuvant arthritis.Methods: The rat chronic adjuvant arthritis model was established by subcutaneous injection of 0.1 ml of complete Freund’s adjuvant to the left hind sole. Forty Wistar rats were randomly divided into the model group, the low frequency (2 Hz) EA group, the high frequency EA (100 Hz) group and the body acupuncture group. After being modeled except the model group, the other three groups were treated with EA or body acupuncture in Yanglingquan points (bilateral) for 3 weeks, the left ankle joints and metatarsal joints of rats were taken for pathological examination by fixing with 10% formalin and embedding in paraffin, sectioning and staining with HE.Results: Obvious inflammatory cell infiltration, loosened synovial tissue, damage of articular cartilage and proliferation of synovial cells and granulation tissue were observed in the sections of joints in model rats. These pathological changes were significantly improved after treatment, and the effect in the high frequency EA group were significantly superior to that in the low frequency EA and body acupuncture group.Conclusion: High frequency EA could significantly improve the pathomorphological changes of joints in chronic adjuvant arthritis rat models.