Effect of Traditional Acupuncture on Proximal Colonic Motility in Conscious Dogs

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Acupoints on the Large Intestine Meridian and specific acupoints related with large intestine have been empirically used to treat large intestinal disease. However, the relationship between acupoints related with large intestine and their functions has not been investigated fully. We investigated whether large intestine-related acupoints affect colonic motility in conscious dogs implanted with electrodes at the proximal colon. Manual acupuncture was applied at the following acupoints: 7 main points on the Large Intestine Meridian (LI1, LI2, LI3, LI4, LI5, LI6, and LI11), ST25, BL25 or GV1. Acupuncture at the Large Intestine Meridian acupoints, ST25 and BL25 had no significant effects on the proximal colonic motility. However, acupuncture at GV1 depressed the proximal colonic motility by decreasing the total duration and the frequency of contractile states, which may contribute to the therapeutic effects of GV1. This study also revealed that there was no clear correlation between Large Intestine Meridian and the proximal colonic motility in conscious dogs.

Acupuncture at GV01 Relieves Somatic Pain Referred by Colitis in Rats

“…Based on previous findings [20,[35][36][37][38], acupuncture at GV01 may decrease the referred somatic pain by affecting inhibitory neuronal pathways in the vlPAG. Combined with our previous studies [12,13], our results show that by reducing colonic inflammation, motility, and referred somatic pain, acupuncture at GV01 had therapeutic effects on colitis. The present study may support our previous findings that these effects on colitis involve endogenous opioid pathways.…”

“…In the present study, colitic rats exhibited marked and prolonged referred somatic pain (decreased mechanical threshold) to the perineal region in comparison with normal rats. In our previous study, we showed that acupuncture at GV01 inhibited colonic motility in normal dogs [12] and colitic rats [13] and had anti-inflammatory effects in colitis. Acupuncture at GV01 decreased the scores of adhesion, macroscopic damage, the myeloperoxidase activity, and colonic motility in colitic rats.…”

“…It is one of the most effective acupoints for treating diarrhea in humans and animals [14][15][16][17][18]. We have shown that acupuncture at GV01 depressed proximal colonic motility by decreasing the total duration and frequency of contractile states in conscious dogs [12], and it also had anti-inflammatory effects on colitis rats [13]. Furthermore, we suggested that the effects of acupuncture at GV01 in colitis involve endogenous opioid pathways [13].…”

“…Although it has been shown to be effective in treating various types of pain, including visceral pain [9,10], little is known about its effect on somatic pain referred from visceral pain. In our recent studies, we reported the anticolitic effects of acupoint GV01 and its possible mechanisms [11][12][13]. GV01 (Changqiang, Governing Vessel 1) is a single acupoint in the depression ventral to the base of the tail and dorsal to the anus.…”

Skin on GV01 Acupoint in Colonic Inflammatory States: Tenderness and Neurogenic Inflammation

“…Acupuncture at the large intestine meridian acupoints, ST25 and BL25 had no significant effects on the proximal colonic motility. Only acupuncture at GV01 depressed the proximal colonic motility by decreasing the total duration and the frequency of contractile states [6]. We also reported that acupuncture at GV01 decreased colonic motility and had anti-inflammatory effects on colitis, but not in normal rats, and suggested that the response to acupuncture at GV01 is more susceptible to colonic inflammation than normal colon [7].…”