Abstract
In electroacupuncture (EA) treatment, successful induction of ovulation is usually accompanied with the facilitation of pulsatile secretion of gonadotropin. The present work studied the release of GnRH from the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) using push-pull perfusion technique in conscious New Zealand female rabbits before, during and after EA stimulation. EA (4Hz, 5mA, 30 min) of Guanyuan (Ren 4), Zhongji (Ren 3), bilateral Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Zigong (Extra 16) was given at the end of the 1st, 3rd and 5th hour during 6 hours' perfusion (EA group, n = 6). Cupric acetate (CuAC) was given (1%, 0.9 ml, i.v.) at the end of the 1st hour perfusion (CuAC group, n = 5) as a control since it is known as a stimulant for the release of GnRH. Rabbits in the control group (n = 4) were under the same perfusion condition except with no CuAC injection or EA stimulation. It was found that GnRH level was elevated immediately and significantly (4.64 +/- 0.98 v.s. 2.08 +/- 0.01 pg/ml, P < 0.05) after EA stimulation. In the CuAC group, GnRH level was also significantly elevated (3.84 +/- 0.37 v.s. 2.08 +/- 0.001 pg/ml, P < 0.05) one hour after CuAC injection. In addition, corpus lutein were observed both in the EA group (2/6) and the CuAC group (5/5). No similar changes were found in the control group. The data suggest that EA is capable of facilitating GnRH release from the MBH.
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