The Preliminary Report Of Acetazolamide (Diamox) Used In Acupuncture Anesthesia And Its Influence On The Changes Of Carbonic Anhydrase In The Brain

Jin Zhigang, Wu Jianing, She Yunchu, Li Rongchang (Jiangxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine)

Diamox was used as premedication of acupuncture anesthesia in a series of 100 patients, and another series of 100 cases by the other methods served as control. The method of acupuncture anesthesia and the kinds of operation in two groups were similar. Most of the operations were thyroidectomies, gastrectomies and repair of hernias.

The method was as follows: the day before operation diamox 0.25 gm was taken by mouth and 0.25 gm again given three hours before operation. The analgesic effect was excellent in 46 cases, satistactory in 48, fair in 4 and poor in 2. The rate of excellent and satisfactory results was 94%. In the control group (100 cases), the night before operation luminal 0.09 gm. or miltown 0.4 gm. was taken by mouth and half an hour before operation 0.1 gm. sodium phenobarbital was given intramuscularly. The results were excellent in 38 cases, satisfactory in 44, fair in 12 and poor in 6. The rate of excellent and satisfactory results was 82%. As regard to the percentage of excellent and satisfactory results of the two groups, the difference was very significant, P<0.01.


The pharmacologic action of diamox is inhibition of the carbonic anhydrase. According to Ashby, carbonic anhydrase exists in cerebral cortex and grey matter of the brain. It can accelerate the speed of extension of the stimulation in the central nervous system. By inhibition of it, the excited cerebrum will be inhibited. In EEG, the exciting type wave was changed into the resting type wave. Thus the improved effect of acupuncture anesthesia by diamox may be the result of the inhibiting effect of the carbonic anhydrase. The other aim of our experiment is to find out whether acupuncture anesthesia may also inhibit the carbonic anhydrase in the brain or not.


Table: The effects of simple electo-acupuncture on the level of carbonic anhydrase in several parts of the brain of the rats.

Compare group A with control group; cerebrum p>0.05, cerebellum p<0.01, brain stem p<0.01

Compare group B with control group; cerebrum p>0.05, cerebellum p>0.05.

The results of the animal experiments showed that continual stimulation of the acupuncture point Zusanli with simple electric-acupuncture significantly inhibited the activity of carbonic anhydrase in cerebrum, cerebellum and brain stem, as the effect of analgesia was reached (elevation of pain threshold above 30%). The results indicated that the carbonic anhydrase of brain may have the effect on the action of acupuncture analgesia, i.e. the analgesic effect and regulatory effect of acupuncture.