Effects of the Acupoint Catgut Embedding on Nerve-Endocrine-Immune Network in Dysmenorrhea Rats

Abstract

To explore the underlying mechanism of acupoint catgut embedding in improving primary dysme-norrhea (PD) in rats based on functional activities of the neuro-endocrine-immune (NEI) network. Forty female rats were equally randomized into blank control, PD model, medication, and acupoint catgut embedding groups. The PD model was established by subcutaneous injection of estradiol benzoate (0.5 mg/rat on the 1st and 10th d, and 0.2 mg/rat from 2nd to 9th d) and oxytocin (2 U/rat, i．p.). Rats of the medication group were treated by intragastric perfusion of fenbid (0.8 mL/rat, 125 mg/100 mL), once daily for 10 days. The catgut embedding was applied to bilateral "Ciliao" (BL 32), "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) and "Guanyuan" (CV 4) before modeling. The body writhing times in 30 minutes were recorded, plasma β-endorphin(β-EP) content, and prostaglandin E 2 (PGE2) and prostaglandin F 2 α (PGF2α) contents in the uterus tissue were assayed using ELISA, and the activity of natural killer cell (NK cell) in the spleen tissue was detected using 3-(4，5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2，5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) method after isolation and co-culture with K 562 cells. The body writhing times were no-tably more in the model group than in the control group (P<0.01), and obviously fewer in both medication and catgut embedding groups than in the model group (P<0.01). After modeling, the plasma β-EP and uterus PGE2 contents and splenic NK cell activity were significantly decreased (P<0.01), while the uterus PGF2α content was evidently increased in the model group relevant to the control group (P<0.01). Following the treatment, plasma β-EP and uterus PGE2 contents and splenic NK cell activity were considerably up-regulated (P<0.01), and uterus PGF2α content was markedly down-regulated in both medication and acupoint catgut embedding groups (P<0.01), suggesting an involvement of the NEI network in catgut embedding-induced improvement of PD. The therapeutic effect of catgut embedment was markedly superior to that of medication in up-regulating splenic NK cell activity (P<0.01). No significant differences were found between the medication and catgut embedding groups in the body writhing times within 30 min, and in the levels of plasma β-EP and uterus PGE2 and PGF2α (P>0.05). The acupoint catgut embedding has a significant efficacy in relieving PD in rats, which may be related to its effect in up-regulating plasma β-EP, uterus PGE2 contents and splenic NK cell activity and in down-regulating uterus PGF2α level.