[Study on effects of acupuncture on mice dysmenorrhea model and the mechanism]
Ya-Qin Yang1, Guang-Ying Huang
1Institute of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Objective:
To probe the mechanism of acupuncture in treatment of dysmenorrhea.
Methods:
Adult mice with no pregnancy were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, an acupuncture group and a medication group. The model group, the acupuncture group and the medication group were modeled by Diethylstilbestrol and Ocytocin. For the acupuncture group, at the 7th day of modeling, acupuncture was given at "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6), "Diji" (SP 8), once a day, for 5 days; and at the 7th day of modeling, Yimucao Gao 0.6 mg/g was given intragastrically to the medication group for 5 days. The stretching latent period and the number of stretching within 30 min were observed, and mRNA levels of ocytocin receptor (OctR) and vasopressin receptor (VasR) in the uterus tissue were detected with RT-PCR method.
Results:
Compared with the model group, the stretching latent period extended (P < 0.05) and the number of stretching within 30 min significantly decreased (P < 0.05); and there were significant differences in the mRNA levels of ocytocin receptor and vasopressin receptor in the uterus tissue in the model group as compared with those in other 3 groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).
Conclusion:
Acupuncture can improve the dysmenorrheal symptom to a certain extent, and the mechanism is possibly related to regulative effects of acupuncture on hormones-mediating receptors in mice.