RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To study the underlining mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) in regulating leukocyte counts in the rabbit. METHODS: A total of 75 rabbits were randomly divided into normal control, leukocytosis model, leukocytosis + EA, leukopenia model, leukopenia+EA groups, with 15 cases in each. EA (2-20 Hz, 1-2 mA) was applied to "Dazhui" (DU 14), bilateral "Zusanli" (ST 36) and bilateral "Geshu" (BL 17) for 20 min, once daily for 5 days. Leukocytosis and leukopenia models were duplicated by intravenous injection of coliform (0.1 ml/kg) and cyclophosphamide (30 mg/kg) separately. Peripheral blood leukocyte counts were detected every day. At the end of the experiment, the rabbit's spleen tissue was collected under anesthesia, and the diameter of splenic sinusoid basal lamina eyehole was measured under scanning electronic microscope. RESULTS: Compared with normal control group, after i.v. coliform and cyclophosphamide, leukocytes increased and decreased significantly and respectively, while the area of the splenic sinusoid basal lamina eyehole in leukocytosis model group increased lightly and that of leukopenia model group reduced obviously (P < 0.01). In comparison with their individual model group, the leukocyte count in leukocytosis + EA group decreased considerably (P < 0.05), while that of leukopenia + EA group increased markedly (P < 0.01). The area of splenic sinusoid basal lamina eyehole in leukocytosis+ EA group decreased apparently (P < 0.05), and that in leukopenia+ EA group increased remarkably (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION EA is able to regulate the leukocyte counts in coliform-induced leukocytosis and cyclophosphamide-induced leukopenia rabbits, which may be related with its effects in improving the splenic sinusoid basal lamina eyehole activity.