title: Electrical signal propagated across acupoints along Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the electrical signals propagated along Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian (BL) in a rat model.
  
  
  METHODS
  The experiments were performed on Dark-Agouti (DA), DA.1U and Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. The antidromic electrical stimulation was applied on the nerve innervating "Pishu" (BL 20) to mimic the acupoint electro-acupuncture (EA). The activities recording from adjacent nerve innervating acupoint "Danshu" (BL 19) or "Weishu" (BL 21) were recorded as indics for acupoint, including the mechanical threshold and discharge rate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After mimic EA on BL 20, C and Aδ units from adjacent BL 19 or BL 21 were sensitized including the decrease in mechanical threshold and increase in discharge rates in DA, DA.1U and SD rats, especially in DA rats. The average discharge rate increased from 2.40±0.26 to 6.06±0.55 and from 1.92±0.42 to 6.17±1.10 impulse/min (P<0.01), and the mechanical threshold decreased from 0.52±0.12 to 0.24±0.05 and from 0.27±0.02 to 0.16±0.01 mmol/L (P<0.01) in C (n=15) and Aδ (n=18) units in DA rats. The net change in discharge rates from C units were 152.5%, 144.7% and 42.4% in DA, DA.1U and SD rats, respectively, among which DA rat's was the highest (P<0.05). In Aδ units, the net change in DA rats were also the highest (221.5%, 139.2% and 49.2% in DA, DA.1U and SD rats).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results showed that mimic acupoint EA activated adjacent acupoints along BL in three rat strains, which might be related to propagated sensation along meridians (PSM). In addition, DA rats were more sensitive and might be a good model animal for PSM research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basal Medical Science, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, 710061, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Stomatology, Stomatological Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, 710004, China.
authors.forename: Dong-Yuan
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Zhang-Jin
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basal Medical Science, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, 710061, China.
authors.forename: Fan-Rong
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basal Medical Science, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, 710061, China.
authors.forename: Hui-Sheng
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basal Medical Science, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, 710061, China. zhaoy502@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000818:Animals; D015671:Electroacupuncture / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D016740:Meridians; D017288:Pain Threshold; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000294:innervation
keywords: Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian; acupuncture; electro-acupuncture; nerve innervating acupoint; propagated sensation along meridians