Effects of electro-acupuncture on corticotropin-releasing factor in rats with experimentally-induced polycystic ovaries.

The aims of the present study were to investigate corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) concentrations in the brain, the adrenal glands, and the ovaries in rats with estradiol valerate (EV) induced polycystic ovaries (PCO). The effect of 12 electro-acupuncture (EA) treatments on CRF concentrations was also investigated. The CRF concentrations in the median eminence (ME) were significantly increased in rats with PCO (both the PCO control group and the PCO group receiving EA) compared with the healthy control group (veichle control group), indicating increased activity in the hypothalamus-pituitary axis. The CRF concentrations in the ovaries were significantly reduced in the PCO group receiving EA compared with the PCO control group. Also, there was a decrease in comparison withthe healthy control group but the decrease was not as significant. This finding indicates that repeated EA treatments change the neuroendocrinological state in the ovaries, which may play an important role in reproductive failure.

Effects of electro-acupuncture on nerve growth factor and ovarian morphology in rats with experimentally induced polycystic ovaries.

Despite extensive research on the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), there is still disagreement on the underlying mechanisms. The rat model for experimentally induced polycystic ovaries (PCO)-produced by a single injection of estradiol valerate-has similarities with human PCOS, and both are associated with hyperactivity in the sympathetic nervous system. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is known to serve as a neurotrophin for both the sympathetic and the sensory nervous systems and to enhance the activity of catecholaminergic and possibly other neuron types. Electro-acupuncture (EA) is known to reduce hyperactivity in the sympathetic nervous system. For these reasons, the model was used in the present study to investigate the effects of EA (12 treatments, approximately 25 min each, over 30 days) by analyzing NGF in the central nervous system and the endocrine organs, including the ovaries. The main findings in the present study were first, that significantly higher concentrations of NGF were found in the ovaries and the adrenal glands in the rats in the PCO model than in the control rats that were only injected with the vehicle (oil or NaCl). Second, that repeated EA treatments in PCO rats resulted in concentrations of NGF in the ovaries that were significantly lower than those in non-EA-treated PCO rats but were within a normal range that did not differ from those in the untreated oil and NaCl control groups. The results in the present study provide support for the theory that EA inhibits hyperactivity in the sympathetic nervous system.

Effects of electro-acupuncture on anovulation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The present study was designed to evaluate if electro-acupuncture (EA) could affect oligo-/anovulation and related endocrine and neuroendocrine parameters in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: Twenty-four women (between the ages of 24 and 40 years) with PCOS and oligo-/amenorrhea were included in this non-randomized, longitudinal, prospective study. The study period was defined as the period extending from 3 months before the first EA treatment, to 3 months after the last EA treatment (10-14 treatments), in total 8-9 months. The menstrual and ovulation patterns were confirmed by recording of vaginal bleedings and by daily registrations of the basal body temperature (BBT). Blood samples were collected within a week before the first EA, within a week after the last EA and 3 months after EA. RESULTS: Nine women (38%) experienced a good effect. They displayed a mean of 0.66 ovulations/woman and month in the period during and after the EA period compared to a mean of 0.15 before the EA period (p=0.004). Before EA, women with a good effect had a significantly lower body-mass index (BMI) (p<0.001), waist-to-hip circumference ratio (WHR) (p=0.0058), serum testosterone concentration (p=0.0098), serum testosterone/sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) ratio (p=0.011) and serum basal insulin concentration (p=0.0054), and a significantly higher concentration of serum SHBG (p=0.040) than did those women with no effect. CONCLUSION: Repeated EA treatments induce regular ovulations in more than one third of the women with PCOS. The group of women with good effect had a less androgenic hormonal profile before treatment and a less pronounced metabolic disturbance compared with the group with no effect. For this selected group EA offers an alternative to pharmacological ovulation induction.

A prospective randomized study of electro-acupuncture versus alfentanil as anaesthesia during oocyte aspiration in in-vitro fertilization.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anaesthetic effect during oocyte aspiration of a paracervical block (PCB) in combination with either electro-acupuncture (EA) or intravenous alfentanil. In all, 150 women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer were randomized to receive either EA plus PCB or alfentanil plus PCB. Visual analogue scales (VAS) were used to evaluate subjective experiences during oocyte aspiration, and IVF outcome parameters were recorded. No differences in pain directly related to oocyte aspiration, adequacy of anaesthesia during oocyte aspiration, abdominal pain, or degree of nausea were found between the two groups in the VAS ratings. Before oocyte aspiration, the level of stress was significantly higher in the EA group than in the alfentanil group (P < 0.05), and the EA group experienced discomfort for a significantly longer period during oocyte aspiration (P < 0. 01). Compared with the alfentanil group, the EA group had a significantly higher implantation rate (P < 0.05), pregnancy rate (P < 0.05), and take home baby rate (P < 0.05) per embryo transfer. In conclusion, EA has been shown to be as good an anaesthetic method as alfentanil during oocyte aspiration, and we suggest that EA may be a good alternative to conventional anaesthesia during oocyte aspiration.

Toxicity testing using the isolated in vitro perfused ovary.

This article discusses the use of in vitro perfusion techniques as a tool for toxicity testing in the ovary and how the rat ovary has been adapted for this purpose. A brief review of the development of in vitro ovarian perfusion is provided, focusing on steroidogenesis and physiology of ovulation. Adaptation of this model for use as a toxicologic model is discussed in the context of other isolated organ models, (that is, liver, heart, lung). Surgical procedures, perfusate and criteria for viability are outlined. Advantages of this technique are highlighted including ability to administer high doses of drugs directly to intact organ devoid of other influences. Applications of this model are discussed and data from studies of glutathione depleted ovaries perfused with hexachlorobenzene (HCB) are presented. Increased oxygen consumption after addition of HCB is suggestive of a disordered respiratory metabolism and is an example of future markers of ovarian injury using this innovative technique.

Steroid production in vitro of a hilus cell tumor of the human ovary.

A 69-year-old heavily virilized woman with an androgen-producing tumor of the right ovary is described. After tumor removal, plasma testosterone levels fell from 5 to less than 0.6 ng/ml. Serum gonadotropins were low prior to surgery and rose to high levels postoperatively. Histologic examination of the right ovary revealed a hilus cell tumor. Incubation of small specimens of tumor tissue for 2 hours in oxygenated Krebs bicarbonate buffer containing glucose and bovine serum albumin yielded a release of predominantly testosterone and androstenedione into the medium. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) added to the medium had no effect on steroid release. Incubation of tumor tissue in vitro may provide a useful functional adjuvant to the morphologic characterization of hormone-producing ovarian tumors. Such combined studies may increase our knowledge of the much-debated histogenesis of these tumors.