RESUMEN
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the correlation between efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) on mammary gland hyperplasia (MGH) and the regulatory pathway of intercostal nerve.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty female SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group (group A, 12 rats), a model group (group B, 12 rats), an EA group (group C, 13 rats) and an intercostal nerve transection group (group D, 13 rats). The rats in the group B, group C and group D were prepared into MGH model; after model was successfully prepared, the 7th intercostal nerve was cut off in the group D. EA was applied at back acupoints including bilateral "Tianzong" (SI 11), "Ganshu" (BL 18) and "Shenshu" (BL 23) as well as chest acupoints including bilateral "Wuyi" (ST 15), "Hegu" (LI 4) and "Danzhong" (CV 17) in the group C and D. The two groups of acupoints were selected alternately. EA was given for 20 min, once a day; 5-day treatment was taken as one course; there was an interval of 2 days between course; totally 20 treatments were given. After treatment, the height and diameter of papilla were observed; the contents of serum estradiol (E) and progestin (P), the expression of estrogen receptor α (ERα) and progestrone receptor (PR) in mammary gland were measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) The height and diameter of papilla: after treatment, the height and diameter of papilla in the group C were significantly smaller than those in the group B (both<0.05); the height and diameter of left-side papilla in the group D were significantly bigger than those in the group C (both<0.05). (2) Serum Eand P: after treatment, compared with the group B, the contents of Eand E/P were reduced and the content of P was increased in the group C and group D (all<0.05). Compared with the group C, the contents of Eand E/P were increased and the content of P was reduced in the group D (all<0.05). (3) ERα and PR in mammary gland: compared with the group B, the content of ERαwas decreased and the content of PR was increased in the group C (both<0.05). Compared with the group C, the content of ERαwas increased and the content of PR was decreased in the group D ((both<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The efficacy mechanism of EA for MGH is likely to be related with the pathway of intercostal nerve; the mechanism may be acupuncture regulating the contents of serum Eand P as well as contents of ERα and PR in mammary gland.</p>
RESUMEN
Objective The experiment was designed to study the therapeutic mechanism of "Tong Tiao" acupuncture in the treatment of mammary gland hyperplasia (MGH) on the rat model.Methods A total of 75 healthy unpregnant female SD rats were randomly divided into six groups: blank, model, control group, vagus cutting therapy, sham operation, and vagus cutting with non-treatment group. All the groups except the blank group were prepared by MGH rat model. The vagus cutting therapy and vagus cutting with non-treatment group were treated by cutting the right cervical vagus nerve, while the sham operation group was treated by exposing the vagus nerve without any operation. All the treatment groups were treated with "Tong Tiao". The rat papillary height was measured. The breast tissue morphology and breast ultrastructure were observated. And the flow cytometry in rat peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+ were calculated. Results Compared with the model group, the papillary height (1.22 mm ± 0.21 mm,1.24 mm ± 0.20 mmvs. 1.53 mm ± 0.16 mm) in the normal treatment and the sham treatment group decreased significantly the vagus cutting therapy and vagus cutting non-treatment group showed no difference (P>0.05). Compared with the model group, the Mammary gland morphology and ultrastructure in the normal treatment group, the sham operation group and the vagus cutting therapy groups were improved, but the vagus cutting non-treatment group showed on improvement. Compared with model group, the serum CD3+(61.5％ ± 10.5％, 61.1％ ± 12.4％, 59.8％ ± 11.8％vs. 57.7％ ± 9.4％), CD4+(37.2％ ± 8.9％, 37.9％ ± 10.9％, 36.1％ ± 12.2％ vs. 34.6％ ± 6.9％), CD4+/CD8+(1.59 ± 0.8, 1.58 ± 0.8, 1.38 ± 0.6vs. 1.23 ± 0.7) in the normal treatment group, the sham treatment group and vagus cutting therapy group, elevated significantly (P<0.01,P<0.05), while the vagus cutting non-treatment group showed no difference (P>0.05). Compared with model group, the serum CD8+ (24.2％ ± 11.3％, 24.5％ ± 10.6％,25.5％ ± 8.8％vs. 27.7％ ± 9.9％) in the normal treatment group, sham treatment group and vagus cutting therapy group decreased significantly lower (P<0.01,P<0.05), but vagus cutting non treatment group showed no difference (P>0.05). Conclusions the mechanism of acupuncture treatment for MGH may be related to the vagus nerve by regulating the CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+/CD8+ levels of T lymphocytes.