title: Involvement of the mechanoreceptors in the sensory mechanisms of manual and electrical acupuncture.
abstract: The modalities of acupuncture can be broadly classified into manual acupuncture (MA) and electroacupuncture (EA). Although MA has been reported to cause winding of tissue around the needle and subsequent activation of the sensory mechanoreceptors and nociceptors, the sensory mechanisms of acupuncture stimulation are not fully understood. To test the hypothesis that the involvement of the mechanoreceptors in the sensory mechanism is different in MA and EA, we examined the effects of a stretch-activated channel blocker gadolinium on the hemodynamic responses to hind limb MA and EA in anesthetized rats (n = 9). Gadolinium significantly attenuated the MA-induced bradycardic response (-22 ± 5 vs. -10 ± 3 bpm, P<0.05) and tended to attenuate the MA-induced depressor response (-30 ± 5 vs. -18 ± 4 mmHg, P = 0.06). On the other hand, gadolinium significantly attenuated both the EA-induced bradycardic (-22 ± 5 vs. -9 ± 4 bpm, P<0.01) and depressor responses (-32 ± 6 vs. -15 ± 5 mmHg, P<0.01). These results indicate that the mechanoreceptors are involved in the sensory mechanisms for both MA and EA.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kinki University, Osaka, Japan. hiromi@med.kindai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawada
authors.forename: Atsunori
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kamiya
authors.forename: Shunichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugimachi
mesh_terms: D026881:Acupuncture / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D005682:Gadolinium / Q000494:pharmacology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D005682:Gadolinium