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Effect of Acupuncture Stimulation on Peripheral Nerve Regeneration Using Silicone Rubber Chambers

2001; World Scientific; Volume: 29; Issue: 03n04 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1142/s0192415x01000393

1793-6853

Yueh-Sheng Chen, Chun‐Hsu Yao, Ter-Hsin Chen, Jaung‐Geng Lin, Ching‐Liang Hsieh, Chun-Chin Lin, Chih-Jui Lao, Chin‐Chuan Tsai,

Botulinum Toxin and Related Neurological Disorders

The purpose of this study was to determine whether acupuncture could affect the regeneration of a 10-mm gap of rat sciatic nerve created between the proximal and distal nerve stumps, which were sutured into silicone rubber tubes. Empty silicone rubber tubes with no further treatment were used as controls. Six weeks after implantation, the animals received the acupuncture or the electroneedling treatment exhibited a more mature ultrastructural nerve organization with significantly higher numbers in the axon density, the blood vessel area, and the percentage of blood vessel area occupied in total nerve area than the controls. In addition, the electroneedling could combine both the needling and the electrical stimulation to potentiate the nerve-growth promoting effect of the acupuncture treatment. These results showed that acupuncture treatment could elicit positive effects on regenerated peripheral nerves.