[Experimental study on anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of electroacupuncture combined with medium frequency...

To explore the effects and mechanism of electroacupuncture combined with medium frequency therapy on lumbar nerve root compression.

Seventy-two Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a sham operation group, a model group, an electroacupuncture group (EA group), a medium frequency group(MF group) and an electroacupuncture combined with medium frequency group (EA + MF group), twelve rats in each group. Models were established by surgery except the normal group and the sham operation group. Rats in the normal group, the sham operation group and the model group were not treated. In the EA group, the rats were treated by electroacupuncture at "Jiaji" (EX-B 2) and "Huantiao" (GB 30) etc., and by medium frequency at the "Jiaji" (EX-B 2) and "Huantiao"(GB 30) in the MF group. Rats in the EA + MF group were treated by both electroacupuncture and medium frequency. All treatments were started on the fifth day of established model, once a day for fourteen days. Rats' lower limb functions were observed before and after treatment, thromboxane B 2 (TXB 2) and prostacyclin F1alpha (PGF1alpha) in blood plasma were tested after treatment, and pathological changes in the local compressed nerve root were observed by light microscope.

After treatment, the scores of rats' lower limb neurologic function in three therapy groups were significantly lower than before (all P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, TXB 2 in the EA group and the EA + MF group after treatment were decreased significantly (both P < 0.01), and PGF1alpha in the EA + MF group was increased significantly (P < 0.01), and TXB 2/PGF1alpha level were all regulated favorably in three therapy groups (all P < 0.01), and the pathological scores in the EA group and the EA + MF group were improved significantly (both P < 0.01).

n Electroacupuncture combined with medium frequency has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects in model rats with lumbar nerve root compression, and its mechanism may be related with the regulation of homeostasis M between TXB 2 and PGF1alpha so as to improve microcirculation.