title: Ameliorating effects and mechanisms of electroacupuncture on gastric dysrhythmia, delayed emptying, and impaired accommodation in diabetic rats.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects and mechanisms of electroacupuncture (EA) on gastric accommodation, gastric dysrhythmia, and gastric emptying (GE) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Five experiments were performed in five groups of STZ-induced diabetic rats to study the effects of EA at ST-36 (Zusanli) on gastric slow-wave dysrhythmia, delayed GE and intestinal transit, impaired gastric accommodation, and the mechanisms of EA involving the autonomic and opioidergic pathways. We found the following: 1) EA improved gastric dysrhythmia in the diabetic rats. The normal percentage of slow waves was 55.4 +/- 2.9% at baseline and significantly increased to 69.2 +/- 2.2% with EA (P = 0.01); this effect was blocked by naloxone. 2) EA resulted in a 21.4% increase in GE and 18.2% increase in small intestinal transit in the diabetic rats. 3) EA restored diabetes-induced impairment in gastric accommodation. Gastric accommodation was 0.98 +/- 0.13 ml with sham EA and significantly increased to 1.21 +/- 0.15 ml with EA (P = 0.01), and this effect was blocked by naloxone. 4) EA increased vagal activity assessed by the spectral analysis of the heart rate variability. We concluded that EA at ST-36 improves gastric dysrhythmia, delayed GE and intestinal transit, and impaired accommodation in STZ-induced diabetic rats, and the improvement seems to be mainly mediated via the vagal pathway. EA may have a promising therapeutic potential for diabetic gastroparesis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Jieyun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jiande D Z
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005215:Fasting / Q000502:physiology; D005746:Gastric Emptying / Q000502:physiology; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility / Q000502:physiology*; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit / Q000502:physiology; D018589:Gastroparesis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D016065:Myoelectric Complex, Migrating / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009270:Naloxone / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013270:Stomach / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D009270:Naloxone