Abstract
Motivation: The frequency of electroacupuncture (EA) could substantially influence the induced response. We compared the effects of EA at frequencies at around the heart rate (HR) and 50%-higher-than-HR frequency on the microcirculatory blood flow (MBF). Methods: Skin-surface laser Doppler measurements were performed in healthy volunteers in three groups: (1) Group A (n=14), premeasurement-HR-frequency EA was applied; and (2) Group B (n=13), 50%-higher-than-HR-frequency EA. (3) Group C (n=16), no EA was applied. Each experiment involved recording a 20-min baseline-data sequence followed by an effect-data sequence obtained at 0-20 min after stopping 20 min of 0.08-mA EA. Results: Beat-to-beat time-domain waveform analysis (including the pulse width, flow rise time, and microcirculatory blood-flow variability) revealed that following EA, the MBF supply at the stimulated site was improved in both groups, and that the MBF perfusion through arteriolar openings appeared to be more efficient in Group A than in Group B. Conclusion: The obtained data may help to establish a new noninvasive method for studying the mechanisms underlying the MBF response induced by EA.
Highlights
The ancient therapeutic technique of acupuncture and its modern modification, electro-acupuncture (EA), have been shown to be effective in several pathological conditions
The effects of different stimulation frequencies were compared between the following groups: (1) Group A (n = 14, aged 31.0 Ā± 14.4 years), in which EA was applied at the frequency of the average premeasurement heart rate (HR) of each subject; (2) Group B (n=13, aged 28.7 Ā± 13.0 years), in which EA was applied at a frequency that was 50% higher than the HR; and (3) Control Group C
For the microcirculatory blood flow variability (MBFV) parameter, the coefficient of variation of the mean component of all the pulses (DCCV) significantly increased at both sites in Group A, whereas there were no significant changes in the other groups (Groups B and C)
Summary
The ancient therapeutic technique of acupuncture and its modern modification, electro-acupuncture (EA), have been shown to be effective in several pathological conditions. 2-Hz EA induced a beneficial neuroendocrine effect in rats with polycystic ovary syndrome [4], and was useful as a supportive therapy to reduce nerve-growth-factor-induced side effects in adult healthy rats [5] It was found in rats with steroid-induced polycystic ovaries that the increase in the ovarian MBF was larger for 2-Hz than for an 80-Hz EA stimulation [2]. These results indicate that the EA frequency can substantially influence the induced responses, and understanding the underlying mechanisms might allow the treatment efficacy of EA to be improved.
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