Shanghai Second Medical College, Shanghai Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine Heilongjiang, College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Zusanli is one of the commonly used points of acupuncture in clinical practice. Its significant curative effect on gastrointestinal disease has long been emphasized. Current reports concerning the principle: "Abdominal disease being treated by retaining the needle at Sanli", are very frequent, indicating the close relations between Zusanli point and the gastrointestinal tract.
The present article reports the acupuncture effects observed from the tests performed on animals, the relative specificity of the acupuncture effects at Zusanli and the experimental evidence of afferent pathway of the acupuncture effects.
1. The effects of acupuncture at Zusanli upon the gastrointestinal function and their relative specificity:
(1) Chronic test was performed on six dogs, in which acupuncture at Zusanli might immediately slow down the basic electrical rhythm which was originally fast in case of gastric hypermotility caused by pento-gastrin. Acupuncture at "Hegu", resulted no marked effect.
(2) Chronic test was performed on seven dogs, in which gastric juice was collected through the gastric fistula, and observations were made on the effect of gastric hypersecretion due to pento-gastrin when acupuncture was applied. The results showed that electric needling at Zusanli could reduce the secretion of gastric acid and the cAMP content, however, electric needling at Hegu, induced no obvious decrease in the secretion of gastric acid, but in contrast it raised the cAMP content in the gastric juice.
(3) The effects of acupuncture at different points upon the electrical activity of the sympathetic nervous gastric ramus: Results in 67 rabbits demonstrated that the stimulation of Zusanli with electric needling caused a decrease of the efferent discharge of the gastric nerve, and increase of gastric peristalsis, but the discharge of the renal nerve used as a control was increased. Acupuncture at "Yindu", increased the discharge of both the gastric and renal nerves, and decreased the gastric peristalsis. Electro-stimulation of aural points "Stomach Zone" with electric needling, produced no marked effect on the discharge of both the gastric and renal nerves. The above same results have been obtained in cats.
2. The analysis of the effect of the afferent pathway upon the intestinal movement by acupuncture at Zusanli:
The results of chronic and acute tests on 40 rabbits demonstrated that the effects of the intestinal movement for the majority of the animals by acupuncture at Zusanli were abolished after section of sciatic and femoral nerves. The acupuncture effect only persisted in a few animals. According to morphological studies, it may be related to some severed nerves.
The direct stimulation of the femoral artery could cause the change of the intestinal movement. Acupuncture at Zusanli on extremities, which were affliated with the trunk solely by the femoral artery and vein, and pulling of the femoral artery, could all cause similar intestinal effect to be induced. Thus implying the possibility that the blood vessels and peripheral nervous system participate in the afferent pathway of acupuncture.
In summary the above-mentioned results demonstrated that acupuncture at Zusanli can regulate the function of the gastrointestinal movement. The relations between the channels and Zang-Fu organs have a relative specificity. The main component of the afferent pathway of acupuncture is the somatic nerve but the participating possibility of the blood vessels and their paravascular nerve fibers can not be ruled out. The sympathetic efferent is the main functional pathway of acupuncture effect of the change of gastric peristalsis. Acupuncture effect is related to function condition of Zang-Fu organs.
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