Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2012, Vol. 7 ›› Issue (3): 219-222.

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Analgesic action of suspended moxibustion in rats with chronic visceral hyperalgesia correlates with enkephalins in the spinal cord

Tao Yi1, Li Qi2, Huangan Wu1, Xiaopeng Ma1, Huirong Liu1, Xiaomei Wang1   

  1. 1  Shanghai Institute of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Meridians, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China
    2  E-institute of Shanghai Municipal Education Committee, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China
  • Received:2011-10-17 Revised:2011-12-10 Online:2012-01-25 Published:2012-01-25
  • Contact: Huangan Wu, Doctor, Doc-toral supervisor, Shanghai Institute of Acupunc-ture-Moxibustion and Meri-dians, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medi-cine, Shanghai 200030, China wuhuangan@126.com
  • About author:Tao Yi☆, Studying for docto-rate, Shanghai Institute of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Meridians, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China

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Abstract:

Rats that modeled chronic visceral hyperalgesia received suspended moxibustion at bilateral Tianshu (ST25) and Shangjuxu (ST37) once daily over a period of 7 days. Results show that suspended moxibustion significantly depressed abdominal withdrawal reflex scores and increased enkephalin concentration in the spinal cord. The experimental findings suggest that spinal enkephalins contributed to the analgesic effect of suspended moxibustion in rats with chronic visceral hyperalgesia.

Key words: suspended moxibustion, chronic visceral hyperalgesia, enkephalins, irritable bowel syndrome